


Stiles After the Pack

by Steter Club ideas (aneria)



Series: Stiles After the Pack [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Good Peter Hale, M/M, Steter - Freeform, Witch Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2018-10-24 19:31:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 37
Words: 85,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10748322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aneria/pseuds/Steter%20Club%20ideas
Summary: start S5E9 at 37 minutes inStiles POVStiles secretly trained himself to be a witch after the Nogitsune.Steter slow burn.Stiles and Peter leave Beacon Hills.





	1. Leaving Beacon Hills

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Prison Break](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3643614) by [cywscross](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cywscross/pseuds/cywscross). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to add this video about the reintroduction of wolves in Yosemite National Park since that's where Stiles relocates to.  
> https://www.facebook.com/WeJustLoveUSA/videos/232846347198360/
> 
> This shows that removing one species from its ecosystem had a much larger impact than was suspected.

  
  
  
**STILES POV**  
  
  
In January of 2012, Scott and Deaton lock up Peter in Eichen House. I point out he was imprisoned in his mind and body and went insane. As soon as he was free, he killed everyone remotely responsible for putting him there.  
  
  
  
Deaton's response was to put him in the cell with Valack. I _**really**_ don't like or trust that druid. I love how he didn't say anything about the place when I wanted a safe place to get locked up or killed. I caught him in too many lies and omissions.  
  
Every time we have a supernatural predator in Beacon Hills, Scott sends me to Eichen House to discuss it with Peter. Deaton says Peter will help me before he helps the others.    
  
  
In February, we have problems with a couple of Harpies, so I'm spending a lot of time in Eichen House with Peter. I notice a ghost walking the halls. Tom sees I can see and hear him. I talk to him in the parking lot. I let his daughter know how he died. He's happier but won't cross over because he wants to help spirits trapped in Eichen House get out when they die. He hates Eichen House.  
  
I'm talking with Peter in the observation room when Tom runs through the wall in a panic.  
  
  
  
He's screaming the boiler is about to blow, and it's directly behind the wall to our left, and he wants us to move to the other side of the room. He screams to run! I stand up and say "I heard you scream it the first time. I'm moving! I can't attract attention from the guards by the door!"  
  
Peter grabs me and spins around, so he shields me from the blast as it explodes. I must have been knocked out for a second because I wake up to Peter calling my real name. I groan and say "why am I not surprised that not only do you know my real name, but you can pronounce it perfectly."  
  
He just smiles at me in his innocent 'I know everything smile' as he feels my head for any damage. I have a small cut next to my eyebrow but nothing serious. As we lay there under the debris, I look up at him and ask "you can see and hear him also?"  
  
He grunts and says "anyone that was dead for more than 20 minutes can see and hear the dead. You were dead for several hours, and I was dead for several months." He ponders as he says "I wonder if we can get a ghost to pass messages between us without anyone knowing?"  
  
Tom says "I have no problem passing messages between you!" We both smile our gratitude to him.  
  
The guards pull off the table and the part of the ceiling that fell on us. They separate us and push Peter back to his cell as Dr. Milton checks me out, verifying I'm okay.  
  
In the parking lot, I say "Tom, ask Peter if I can get him out, would he want to get out?"  
  
He catches up with me about thirty minutes later. "Peter says if you can get him out, he would greatly appreciate it."  
  
I say "tell Peter If I say 'I plan to take you on a road trip,' that means I found a way and am working on a plan."  
  
  
A week or so later, Tom tells me there's a Security guard in the locker room, alone. He can loop the camera for five minutes so I can take the spare uniform.  
  
I get in the locker room and use a befuddle spell to make him think he gave his uniform to the cleaners and forgot where he put the receipt to pick it up. I get out undetected and hide it with a camouflage spell to make it appear invisible. My plan is looking up.  
  
  
  
  
In March, Tom tells me a housekeeper quit and has his outgoing meeting with the director to turn in his key card on Friday at 4 pm. Scott's pack is in the middle of a zombie problem, so I arrange to talk to Peter that day.  
  
On Friday I'm in the director's office as the housekeeper leaves. I cast a compulsion spell to switch this card with a deactivated one and change the information on the computers, so this card stays active. He also programmed it to update with the newest codes and passwords whenever I go into Eichen House. Isn't technology grand?  
  
  
  
My plan is getting safer for me. That leaves the mountain ash and a way into and out of Eichen House. I need an illusion to buy me time to get out and away.  
  
I tell Peter in Polish "I promise, I'll take you on a road trip no later than next January." He smiles and replies in Polish "I'm looking forward to it, little one."  
  
  
In April, Theo comes to town, and he feels bad. He feels off, like a threat to me. I tell Scott not to trust him. As usual, he doesn't listen to me.  
  


 

 

 

 **THURSDAY**  
**MAY 3rd, 2012**  
  
  
Scott and I are talking in the rain. I'm pleading with him to believe I didn't have a choice. He calls me a killer and tells me not to bother his pack. He doesn't even ask what happened. He believes everything Theo tells him and nothing that I say to him. The blood on the wrench is mine, not Donovan's. He acts like I'm going to attack him and turns his back on me. I ask what he's talking about, but he walks away. My heart shatters into a thousand pieces, and he doesn't notice.  
  
  
  
  
  
Scott stabbed me in the back for the last time. I'm done! We're through! Being kicked out of the pack is being kicked out of Beacon Hills.  
  
I go home and finish making the escape plan I've been working on since Peter was locked away. I follow Kate's example and use the tunnels and sewers under Beacon Hills to bypass the mountain ash in the walls of Eichen House.  
  
  
  
I hack into the city sewer system and make a map of the tunnels around the asylum. Tomorrow's Friday. Hopefully, everything goes according to plan, and I'll be long gone with Peter before anyone notices. Hopefully, they don't connect me to his disappearance.  
  
  
  
I call Principal Thomas at home. I helped him get his job back after Gerard disappeared. He owes me a favor, so I ask him to schedule my high school exiting exam for tomorrow and keep it quiet. Thomas sets it for six am. I pack two weeks worth of clothes, a picture of my mom the last good day she had, a picture of dad when he made Sheriff, my laptop and the cash I got from Peter during the Deadpool. Melissa got Scott to give it back, so Peter gave it _**all**_ to me, plus some. Nice to have a master criminal fond of you.  
  
  
  
I wipe the hard drive of my desktop computer and rewrite it, so nothing from me is on it. I reset it to factory settings and then update it, so it's not evident.  
  
I buy a beater disposable car for $400 from my Russian, Mafia friend, Alexi, and hide it near the tunnel entrance. I go to the storage unit where Peter had me put his stuff when he was locked up, get clothes for him, and ensure I paid for two years. I put both bags of clothes in the trunk of the car.

  
  
I write a letter to dad and Melissa telling them Scott says I'm a killer because I defended myself against a windigo. I suspect Theo sent him after me. Scott said not to talk to his pack. Along with the note I left a copy of the footage from the library cameras showing he tried to kill me, it was an accident, I called the cops after, and I tried to help him.  
  
  
  
I set a motion activated mini-camera in the wall above my crime board, facing my door. I want to know how long it takes anyone to see I'm gone. Maybe, I'm pathetic, but I want ... no, _**need**_ to see how quickly I'm forgotten and replaced.  
  
I sneak into Deaton's clinic, hack his monitor that he uses for x-rays, and program it to send a video feed to my laptop whenever the light is on in the back room (read werewolf meetings).


	2. The Escape

**FRIDAY**  
**MAY 4th, 2012**  
  
  
Early this morning, about 4 am, I leave the note and the flash drive with the video on my bed and a private letter to dad saying "I can't take Beacon Hills anymore. I need to leave while I'm still alive. Scott put me too close to suicide to stay. I already died once. I don't want to die because of him. I choose to leave, so don't follow me. I have my high school diploma. I'll turn 18 in January. I love you. Take care of yourself."  
  
I remove the sim card from my phone and burn it. I reset my phone to factory settings and just to make sure I run a powerful magnet over it. I power it off and leave it on my bed next to the other things. No point in trying to track my phone if it's on the bed. I close the door with a last long look at my room. This part of my life is over. There is no going back.  
  
I pass my exam with flying colors. I score high enough to bypass Lydia as valedictorian. I have my diploma by 7 am. I park the jeep in front of dad's house and walk away. I may or may not have had a tear in my eye.

  
I go through the sewers to the wing Peter's held in and put on the security uniform and the ID.  
  
I have a hat pulled low over my eyes with a 'don't notice me' spell placed on it and my taser ready in case someone sees I don't belong. I'm outside Peter's cell when he catches my scent.  
  
  
  
He looks at me quizzically, and I say "remember that trip I promised you? Time to go."  
  
He smiles evilly, growls, snaps Valack's neck, and rips out his heart. He wipes his hand off on Valack's shirt as I open the door. He asks "how _**are**_ you going to get me past the mountain ash?"  
  
I smile and say "we're going under it." I cast an illusion to show Valack asleep and Peter pacing. "This will last until Monday. That gives us three days to get away before anyone notices."  
  
Peter looks impressed as I lead the way thru the tunnel and open the secret panel. He follows me in, and I close the entrance. He's too weak from the drugs they gave him to seal it, so I improvise. I pull out a small blow torch and seal it shut.  
  
We get in my car, and I tell him to lay down in the back seat under the blanket I spelled to look like there's nothing under it, until we get out of town. A few miles out I pull to the side of the road and let him change. He burns his prison uniform, and we continue on our way.  
  
As we drive west to the next town, he asks "what made you decide to bust me out now? I'm not complaining. That was the worst six months of my life yet. "  
  
I say "I didn't bust you out, that implies violence and property damage. I merely opened the door, and you followed me out. Theo, the latest villain I told Scott not to trust, said I murdered someone and he believed him."  
  
I angrily adjust my grip on the steering wheel as I say "the truth is, I killed a Windigo in self-defense, _**and**_ it was accidental. Scott didn't even ask me what happened. Just told me we don't kill people and don't bother Malia or Lydia. He turned his back on me. After everything I've done for him, that's how he repaid me!"  
  
I look over at Peter and take a calming breath before I say "I got my diploma, you followed me out of Eichen House, and I left."  
  
  
  
Peter squeezes my shoulder fondly as he says "he's a fool to doubt you or to believe another over you. I'd never turn my back on you or abandon you. You're the most intelligent person in his pack. In my opinion, you're the deadliest one there."  
  
I sadly say "I'm obviously not in his pack and never was. Humans can't be pack, so he never offered. I wouldn't have joined because he kept betraying me on Deaton's orders. Sorry. Suggestions."  
  
Peter growls. "Most of Talia's pack was human. Only an idiot would say humans aren't pack. Humans give stability and humanity to the pack."  
  
He takes a couple of calming breaths before saying "I want to thank you for trying to talk them out of locking me up. I overheard you suggest telling me to leave as he did with Deucalion, who's a bigger threat than I ever was. You told them it'd drive me insane and homicidal, again."  
  
I look at him and say "no one deserves Eichen House, especially not in the same cell as Valack." I think for a few minutes and ask "What're you going to do with your freedom?"  
  
He says "I plan on staying with you for a while. I need to get those drugs out of my system. Where are _**we**_ going?"  
  
I say "remember that money you told me to keep?" he nods. "I bought a cabin in Yosemite (yoh-sem-it-ee) National Park. We'll be there in about four hours. I have a job interview tomorrow at 11 am for a Park Ranger position."  
  
He arches an eyebrow as he asks "if that is to the east, why are we driving west?"  
  
  
  
I smile at him and say "that's to confuse anyone following me. I'm selling this car in the next town, getting an SUV, then looping to the north before I head west. They'd never think I drove a semicircle, and my destination is east. Dad thinks I'll always drive a Jeep, so an SUV is a good move. I suggest you wait at least a week before you officially make your entrance and then you can go for a ranger job also. There's always openings."

  
  
  
  
A few years ago I used my real first name and mom's maiden name to buy this cabin. I love the starry sky here. Once we arrive, I go to my bedroom and dump my suitcase on the bed. I say "Peter, pick a room. Linens are in the closet under the stairs."  
  
Peter notices it's already furnished and stocked with food. There are even spices growing in the kitchen window. After a quick search of the cabin, he says "you've been using this cabin for a while now. It has your scent all over it. What's with the locked basement door?"  
  
  
  
I run my hand through my hair and say "I bought this cabin right and  I practice magic in the basement. I came here to get away from Scott's bullshit and try to keep from losing my mind. My magic supplies are in there. I've almost mastered telekinesis. I've only got it at 100% when I'm totally calm, trying to learn to do it when I'm panicked, scared or in any way not relaxed."  
  
While Peter's moving into the room across from mine and unpacking, I'm in the basement making glamor amulets for us, to hide our face and scent from outsiders. I think I got it, but I'll test it on Peter.

  
  
Peter comes down to the basement once he unpacked, and I say "I need to check this. I'll drop the cloaking spell I've been using to hide my scent and put on the amulet. Let me know if it hides my scent and my face. They also keep outsiders from seeing our eyes glow."  
  
He says "sounds simple enough."  
  
I drop my scent shield, and Peter tenses up and gets a strange look in his eyes but quickly hides it. In a tone I can't identify, he asks "that's what you smell like?"  
  
I look at him strangely as I put on the amulet. He says "your scent and appearance changed as soon as you put that on."  
  
I say "now to check the second part of it. Put on yours. The amulets are tied together, so they don't affect each other."  
  
  
  
Peter puts on his, and he looks the same to me. He says "it works. Now I see and smell you as you are." We look in the mirror and see strangers' faces staring back at us. He tests his blue eyes, and I check my white eyes.  
  
I have an ID with the face I created for Peter ready to go. I just need a name. He wants to keep Peter but will use Schowany (Polish for hidden). I finish the ID and hand it over to him. My new last name is mom's maiden name Biegacz (Polish for the runner). Wilkksiezycawyc Biegacz, Wes for short. Who'd think I'd use my real first name since I hated it so much growing up?  
  
I ask "are you hungry? I'll make some lunch."    
  
He says "I'm famished. It's been a long time since I had real food, so it doesn't have to be anything fancy. At this point, I would be impressed with a bologna sandwich on day old bread."  
  
  
  
I'm cooking in the kitchen when Peter comes behind me and embraces me as he subtlely sniffs my neck. I'm confused. Why would he act like this? I look over my shoulder at him with a raised eyebrow and ask "Is something wrong?"  
  
He rumbles contentedly against my back before saying "I spent almost six months locked in a little 6x6 room with Valack and no bed. I couldn't smell anything beyond 2 inches from the reinforced window-wall because of the drugs. They made my wolf suffer. No smell and deprived of touching anyone but him is torture for a werewolf. We rely on our senses. Ever notice the pack always touched you when given a chance. They didn't come close to me because they were afraid of me, except for you. When they noticed my scent on you, one of them immediately covered it with theirs."  
  
He squeezes me tighter and says into my shoulder "do you have a problem with me touching you? Or holding you?"  
  
I say "no. It doesn't bother me. I was curious why? Touching me to calm your wolf isn't a problem unless you grope me."  
  
We eat dinner and then he goes for a run to learn the area.  
  
I check on my herbs and plants in my greenhouse.  
  
  
  
  
Satisfied, I go in and watch the Mets lose to the Arizona Diamondbacks on TV when I feel my boundary geas a quarter mile out react to his presence. I feel it as he follows them around the house. A little while later I feel when he finds the geas a half mile out, and he follows them around. He discovers it's not a circle.  
  
  
  
  
The wards move out three-fourths of a mile to the southwest to include a cave I found with natural crystals and a hot spring fed by steam. I like skinny dipping there. If Peter explores the cave, he'll discover the night blooming wolfsbane I hid there, under a hole in the cave ceiling. It's good for magic but also ensures the bite takes, and there's no chance of rejection. Witches tend to reject an alpha werewolf's bite.

  
  
I'm comfortably leaning on the couch arm watching TV when he comes back.  
  
Peter smirks as he says "I wouldn't have thought you like watching sports."  
  
I off-handedly say "my mom loved the Mets and it was something we did together. I keep up with them as a way to stay close to mom's memory."  
  
Peter smiles and sits me up to sit on the couch with me, so I'm leaning against his chest as he drapes his arm around me. I ask "do you like sports?"  
  
He off handily says "some, but not wrestling. That's a soap opera for women with men in their underwear."  
  
I say "I take it cuddling to watch TV is a were thing since Malia did it also."  
  
He huffs in annoyance as he says "I'm _**not**_ your girlfriend."  
  
  
  
I huff amusedly and say "she was _**never**_ my girlfriend! I found her in Eichen House when I was dealing with the Nogitsune. Tate couldn't handle her, and it was Scott's and my fault. I took responsibility for her and integrated her into society enough to function. She still comes off as an overly macho tomboy, but she's better than when I found her."  
  
Peter side-eyes me as he says "you're not straight? Are you?"  
  
I look at him in surprise. Has he caught me staring at his ass? Or smelled my occasional arousal from looking at those delicious-looking trapezius muscles he's always showing off in those V-necks? I'm a teen! We're always supposed to feel slightly aroused all the time.  
  
He adds "Scott always said you're in love with Lydia, but I never smell sexual attraction from you for her. I detect envy and jealousy but never arousal. You say, Malia wasn't your girlfriend, Scott assumed she was."  
  
I look at him and say "Are you asking me if I'm Bi? Lydia was my academic rival. I'm gay, not Bi. I've known for a while. I tried to tell dad, but he didn't want to hear it. No way I was going to tell Scott. He doesn't keep other people's secrets unless it affects him in some way."  
  
Peter says "I'll never win father of the year, but thanks for helping Malia catch up with school and fit in better. It figures Scott leaves her adrift and moves on without looking back while you fix everything for him."  
  
I say "you didn't even know she existed until she was 17. I mean, Lydia saying 'Surprise! You're a dad', must've been a shock! I couldn't leave Malia like that. It was our fault she was in Eichen House. I had to help her. No one deserves to be there. The bastards torture their patients." I subconsciously rub my scars as I remember what Brunski did to me as I contemplate Peter doesn't look or act old enough to be her dad. How is that possible?  
  
Peter intently looks into my eyes as he asks "did they torture you in Eichen House? Is that why you're rubbing your side? Earlier you rubbed your shoulder while you discussed that place?"  
  
I glance down and see I am. I must have picked up the nervous habit of rubbing my scars. I freeze and do my patented subject change. I try for casual as I ask "are you hungry? I'll make supper."  
  
  
  
I get up, but he pulls me back down on the sofa. Somehow he winds up over me, and my hand is undershirt and on his warm side, but he doesn't notice how awkward this is as I fight my body getting aroused.  
  
He says "changing the subject may work with Scott and his crew, but I'm not so easily distracted from you. You _**always**_ have my undivided attention. Let me see what they did to you."  
  
He pushes my shirt up and sees burn scars on my side. The way my shirt rucks up reveals the ones on my shoulder. "Who did this to you?"

  
  
I sigh and say "Brunski. No one gets out of there without some damage."  
  
He runs a finger over the scars on my side and says "he'll get what he deserves for this, eventually. I hope I'm the one that does it to him. No one should ever hurt you. Scott broke your heart, and Brunski burned you. Is this from a taser?"  
  
I say "Yeah, he tasered me in the shower. Repeatedly."  
  
He leans back, content with his knowledge of everything. To change the subject, I say "I felt you follow my barrier markers on your run."  
  
He smirks at the ploy and says "yes, I wanted to see what you considered to be our territory. I can't patrol our land if I don't know how far it extends."  
  
I smile shyly at him. _**"Our?** _ Are you going to stay with me? Roommates?"  
  
He's smirking. I carefully word my next statement so as not to anger him. "You're an alpha, are you going to build a wolf pack here?"  
  
Peter freezes and his eyes narrow. He leans in close to me as he intently asks "How long have you known?"  
  
  
  
I put my hand on his chest as he's a little too close, shrug and say "since you came back from the dead. I know alphas can hide the red in their eyes. You made a point of never shifting or using werewolf abilities. You cited weakness from coming back as the reason, but I suspected differently. You never showed any signs of being weak."  
  
He smiles and fondly strokes my cheek as he says "I should've known you'd figure it out. You never told Scott _**or**_ the pack?"  
  
I shake my head. "No. You're sane, and I trust you. It's Deaton I mistrust. If you wanted to cause problems for Derek or Scott, you'd have fought them or roared at them. You're stronger than they _**think**_ they are."  
  
Peter smiles fondly at me as he says "I was thinking about a pack of two. Just the two of us. I want _**you**_ in _**my**_ wolf pack no matter _**what**_ you are! I wouldn't mind adding Malia, eventually. I don't think that's possible."  
  
I smile at him "I'd like that. You never know. Malia has a way to contact me if she needs to. I told her my new email address was for her alone." His eyebrow goes up, then he relaxes and smiles at me.  
  
Peter focuses on something I said in passing that's bothering him and says "that's the second time you told me you don't trust Deaton. I need you to tell me exactly why? _**Everything**_ he did to lose your faith."

I sigh and look away as I say "when the sacrifices started, I went to him and explained a druid did them. He already knew. I asked why he wasn't telling us. He said he'd been hiding he's a druid for ten years."  
  
I continue "no one knew he was Talia's emissary. He didn't say it until after you came back and he wanted to turn everyone against you. When Gerard brought him the hunter's body, killed by the Kanima, he said 'Hi, Alan ... I guess you're not as retired as people think. He told Scott he knew Gerard for a long time."

  
  
I sigh and say "when we were trying to find the Nemeton, he said he didn't have a clue where it was, and we had to sacrifice ourselves to find it. Deaton made the wooden jar Talia's claws are in from the Nemeton's roots _**after**_ she died. He knew where it was! That darkness in our hearts, my open wound from the wreck _**he**_ caused with his magic at the Nemeton, the herbs he put in my ice bath that wasn't in theirs, and the fact I had no training in magic to defend myself made it possible for the Nogitsune to take me over. He planned it all."

  
  
I turn away again as I say "when fighting the Nogitsune I suggested they kill me so I wouldn't hurt anyone." I see his hand twitch into a fist. "Deaton and Scott refused. I signed myself into Eichen House to protect everyone. When Deaton and Scott locked _**you**_ up, I found out there's a place under Eichen House where he could've easily put me to prevent _**it**_ from hurting anyone. He didn't. He wanted me to kill Scott's pack."  
  
"He blamed me for Allison's death. As you recall, I was dead at the time. You and Morrell didn't bring me back until several hours later. Deaton doesn't know I died. Morrell and Lydia didn't tell him. He also doesn't know we used ghosts to communicate with each other secretly."  
  
I hunch my shoulders as I say "I find it odd, Deaton was in the vault in a mountain ash circle, trying to force Scott to evolve into a true alpha, but he flinched, and it didn't happen. I sent dad to get him out of the ash barrier. No other sacrifice was surrounded with ash. I think he staged that. No other victim was able to call for help while being attacked or taken. I don't believe Jennifer took him. He did that to himself, to bait Scott."  
  
"His sister was the emissary for Deucalion, and he knew they were already in Beacon Hills before you stopped the kanima. I saw him tracking Gerard but supposedly didn't find him. Allison, a new hunter with no training in tracking, did weeks later. How is that possible?"

  
  
Peter pulls me into his arms and strokes my hair calmingly as he softly says "it sounds like he was maneuvering Scott under his control the entire time. You're right. He can't be trusted. Did you track Gerard? Did something unforeseen happen to him? He deserved it for torturing you and everything else he did?"  
  
I lean heavily against him in relief to get it off my chest as I say "He called his body double and told him to take his place, after Chris found him. As soon as they switched places, I abducted him and killed him slowly with Wolfsbane. I made sure it took him weeks to die. He was delirious the last few days. I got some useful information from him about his hunting network."  
  
Peter says "if you were a werewolf your eyes would be blue then?"  
  
I roll my eyes, shake my head, and say "no, blue means you regret killing a human. The Windigo wasn't human, that was self-defense, and I don't regret Gerard. So no, they'd be gold."  
  
Peter laughs, ruffles my hair and says "you learned the rules well, little one."  
  
Later that night Peter strips down and walks into the living room totally naked. I can't help but stare at his tight abs, and my god is he hung! It takes everything I have not to grab him, run my hands over his length to see how long Peter's dick is when it's fully hard, and if something that long stands straight at attention or at an angle. I guess from his smirk; he can smell my arousal from the view.

  
  
I swallow a few time before I try to ask him casually "why are you naked? I'm definitely _**not**_ complaining. Just curious. Is it a pack thing? Derek was almost always missing his shirt."  
  
He laughs "no, it's not a pack thing. I'm going to shift to alpha and run the perimeter. Didn't want my clothes ruined. Do you like what you see?" he asks with a leering smirk. When he strokes his hand down his shaft mine starts to get hard, and I desperately try to redirect my blood flow away from my dick.  
  
My brain to mouth filter must have turned off as I blush and say "hell yeah! What's not to like? I'm going to have a lot of trouble not touching you and getting myself in trouble" before I even realize it. Crap! I facepalmed.  
  
Thankfully he just laughs. He walks up to me, lifts my chin with a finger and huskily says "you can touch me _**wherever**_ you want. Whenever _**you**_ want, **_my_** little one. I won't complain" with a leer.  
  
A little over an hour later a sweaty, naked Peter walks back in. A naked Peter slick with sweat is even sexier looking, and I have to take a cold shower to deal with my awkward boner.  
  


 


	3. Moving On

**SATURDAY**  
**MAY 5th, 2012**

  
  
  
Early next morning I'm treated to the amazing view of a naked Peter as he leaves to run the perimeter. I guess his pattern's to run it every morning and night. I'm going to be getting a _**lot**_ of cold showers.  
  
When he comes in sweaty and naked, he leans flush against my back as he snuffles my neck and reaches around me to get a slice of bacon from the pan. I feel the heat of his body and the line of his solid cock against my ass. Little Stiles decides to wake UP, but I'm enjoying the feeling of his body against mine too much to move or flee. I lean further into him and sigh softly. He smirks openly as he calmly leans against the counter next to me eating _**my**_ bacon.  
  
I suspect he knows _**exactly**_ what he's doing to me and doing it on purpose. I can't resist quietly jerking off in the shower. Of course, I'm thinking about his hot sweaty body on top of mine.

I'm starting to suspect he's trying to seduce me. He wouldn't have to try that hard to entice me. All he'd have to do is ask if he could fuck me and I would be naked in his bed before he could blink. My imagination _**is**_ going to get me in trouble. Good thing I used my magic to make it impossible to hear anything but a _**steady**_ heartbeat from the shower. Not quite soundproofing but enough to get away with embarrassing stuff. If he knew how often I have to relieve the pressure in the shower from his drop-dead-gorgeous body on display, he would die laughing. I'd die of shame.

 

  
I go to my interview. When asked at what age, a deer becomes an elk, I laugh and say "at the same age a kitten becomes a lion."  
  
When they look strangely at me, I add "they're a different species, more like cousins. An elk is much bigger, heavier, and is a grazer while a deer is smaller, lighter, and a browser of vegetation, not the internet."  
  
They like my answer and hire me. On the firing range, I'm a marksman with a gun, thanks to my cop dad and my mother teaching me how to shoot. I get my uniform and equipment. I lucked out and got the patrol zone that houses my cabin.

I'm assigned Ranger Marco as my mentor to show me the ropes. I suspect he likes me because he's always touching me. This job doesn't allow visual impairment, so I know he's not going blind!

After the fifth time that he touches me for no reason, I resignedly say "please don't touch me a lot. I'm not used to strangers touching me."

He says "I'm not a stranger, I'm your coworker."

I glare at him and say "dude, my dad barely touches me, _**and**_ he only hugs me when one of us nearly dies. It makes _**me**_ uncomfortable when _**you**_ touch me for no reason. I'm nicely asking you to _**STOP!**_ "

He just shrugs. God, it's like working with an immature Jackson.

He touches my arm again, acting like he wants to show me something. I feel like screaming. Mom died when I was eight. Malia is touchy, and so was Erica, Cora, Derek, and Peter. They're a wolf pack, and it makes me feel wanted. Marco's touching makes me feel like it's a precursor to being molested. Reminds me of that incident in detention and it just doesn't feel right.

He shows me my zone and its Ranger Station, rest areas, and camping areas we'll patrol. Marco is an Arizona Native American. The Pascua Yaqui Tribe. He's going to transfer to the Grand Canyon soon. I think I will be his replacement. So what's with the touchy feely?  
  
  
  
Marco drops me at my cabin and asks me out for dinner, _**not**_ a date. I bow out saying I just moved in and I still have some unpacking to do.

  
  
Peter's growling when I walk in and quickly pulls me into an extended embrace against his chest. "Um, why are you growling and holding me at the same time. Are you angry at me? Did I do something wrong?"  
  
Peter says "I'm not mad at you. I'm unsettled. Well, my wolf is. You have an outsider's scent _**all**_ over you. _**He**_ touched you more than he needed. You should smell like _**ME!**_ Like pack! Not like him, and my wolf does _**not**_ like it!"

  


  
Oh! He's possessive and jealous! "So, you're _**not**_ mad at me? I'll shower his scent off. Marco _**does**_ have an annoying habit of always touching me. I already told him it makes me uncomfortable."

Peter leads the way upstairs. I take off my work jacket and hang it in my room next to the door. As I strip down to my underwear and get ready to walk into the bathroom, he runs into my room.

Well, Peter doesn't run anywhere, unless he's patrolling. It's more of a very dignified, fast walk. He's carrying his scented body wash and shampoo bottles. "If you wouldn't mind? It will settle my wolf down more if you smell like me. Would you mind using my shampoo and body wash?"

I see how worried he is about asking me or at least afraid of my response. He's nervous and out of sorts. I smile reassuringly and say "if it will calm your wolf, besides ..." I reach out and take the bottles from his hands, and they brush mine in either a suggestive manner or a nervous clingy way (not sure which) ... "I like the smell of these products but wouldn't spend that much on me. I would love to."

Peter smiles contentedly and nearly purrs as he sits on my bed. I smile confidently and walk into the bathroom with the bottles.

  
  
When I finish my shower and come out in a towel, I find Peter lying full length on my bed _**and**_ my clean clothes. At least he's not wearing shoes on my bed.

I walk over and pick up my clothes from _**around**_ and _**under**_ Peter, who doesn't get up or move. He's gone from acting like a nervous, possessive puppy to a petulant child sulking that someone played with their favorite toy.

I drop my towel and stand there naked as I put my clothes on and notice they smell like Peter. He must've been rolling around on them to cover everything with his scent. I don't say anything about it. He appraises my naked body as I dress.  
  
I look at him and ask with a smirk "should I ask if you like what you see? Minus the scars."  
  
"I don't even notice the scars." He languidly gets up, like a great cat stretching, and walks around me as he idly runs a finger over my abs. My shudder doesn't escape his notice. Why do I feel as though we're playing cat and mouse? Peter smirks as he says "I'm surprised you hide such a glorious body under all those layers of clothes. I guess that _**does**_ keep away _**my**_ competition."

My brow raises at that. Is _**Peter**_ , with a body like a Greek God, flirting or being serious? I scoff as I say "I am mostly hiding myself and my scars. I don't like to be the center of attention. I would rather hide in the shadows and watch everyone else. People make me nervous. I can't think of any human that touched me in a good way besides dad and Melissa."

He's still looking at my abs as he says "you have an amazing six pack that's well defined and a very sexy V." He lightly strokes his finger down said V as he says this.

I blush, duck my head and run my hand through my hair.

Peter softly laughs at my nervousness as he says "I only see you. The brave, loyal and resourceful man that saved my life and the lives of his pack."  

Wait! Did he say, _**Man?**_

He holds up his hand to stop me from arguing about being in a pack as he continues "even if said wolf pack is too stupid to notice how much you did for them."  
  
I try to change the subject and lighten the mood a little as I chuckle and say "I'm lean from always running from supernatural creatures trying to kill me."  
  
Peter laughs and says "I never tried to kill you! I _**did**_ try to offer you the bite, as you recall, and _**you**_ turned me down."

  
  
I remember and say "the parking garage. I wasn't sure if you wanted to kiss me, eat me, or just rip out my throat. You gave off mixed signals."  
  
Peter gives an amused laugh as he says "Oh, my dear boy. I would've eaten you in a red hot minute IF I thought you were willing! Not the way you mean, I know. I've always respected you too much to ever think about forcing you."

I sadly realize he said 'boy.' Man must have just been a figure of speech. Remind me not to get my hopes up. Wait! 'Not the way I meant?' Does he want _**me**_? I would be so down with that! Then the rest of it dawns on me. I am shocked, so I ask with raised brow "you respect me? Even then?"  
  
Peter smiles as he sits on the bed and pulls me down to sit beside him. He says in a velvety voice "of course I respect you. If you recall, the only time I _**did**_ chase you, while Scott was running around like a scared little rabbit, _**you**_ thought things out. _**You**_ made a plan and trapped _**me**_ in the boiler room, even if it _**was**_ only for a few minutes. You weren't afraid of me. Curious, but not afraid. You impressed me. I always wished I'd bitten you, instead of him. If only your dad hadn't pulled you away, shoved you in your jeep, surrounded by cops, and told you to go home." 

He sighs sadly as he says _"C'est la vie."_  
  
  
  
I look at him in surprise. Wait! Was Peter there? Was he watching us? I didn't know that! "You were watching us?!"  
  
"Yes. I was observing you from the shadows. You were incredibly brave! My wolf wanted you as soon as we saw you." His stomach growls. I idly rub his belly and say "that's my cue to cook something to eat. What are you in the mood for?"  
  
He leeringly says "you."  
  
He's back to flirting and innuendos again. I roll my eyes, smile and ask "what _**food**_ would _**you**_ like to _**eat**_ , Peter? You are such a flirt!"  
  
"You love it. How about salmon?"

  
  
I laugh as I get up and head into the kitchen to cook. I have all of the ingredients out when Peter comes into the kitchen. He offers to help, so I let him cut the vegetables while I prepare the fish. I put it together and in the oven. We set the table as we wait for it to cook. Either I imagine it, or he touches me more than he used to. Every time he passes me he lightly touches my back or shoulder. He casually touches my arm numerous times while setting the table.  
  
He smirks at my dishes. I picked and bought the wolf pattern before I knew about werewolves. I thought the theme went well with my cabin.  
  
  
  
He bought crystal and china for us. It should arrive tomorrow. I would never spend $2,000 on dishes or $800 on crystal glasses. I was practical when I got stoneware. We eat together in companionable silence.  
  


 

  
An hour later Peter strips seductively in the living room and goes for his run, as I drool and try to make my blood supply stop running south. I _**know**_ the striptease was on purpose. Is he trying to see me blush _**or**_ give me a hardon?

  
  
He comes back in an hour or so, sweat slicked, and _**still**_ naked. He cuddles with me on the couch, naked. I can't help but be easily distracted by a _**hot**_ naked Peter.

Maybe if I don't say anything about him being naked, he'll _**stay**_ naked. A guy can only hope. He scent marks my neck as he tells me he's impressed with the plants I've grown in my greenhouse.  
  
I smile at him and lean against his hot, moist chest. I'm not going to let him embarrass me.  He feels so good! I'm not going to be embarrassed about his lack of clothes if he's not! I let his heart beat soothe me for a short time before I say "I need to get some sleep. I have to patrol tomorrow, and Marco will pick me up at 9 am."  
  
I get up, and as I start to walk away, he grabs my hand and pulls me back into his chest, kisses my  forehead and says "I'll see you in the morning, little one."

 

 

  
  
In the middle of the night, I wake up, screaming from a nightmare as Peter gets in my bed and wraps himself protectively around me. He shushes me and says "It's okay. I'm right here. I'll protect you. You're safe with me." He pulls me against his bare chest, spoons me, and I feel safe and warm. I immediately fall back to sleep and have the best sleep I've had in a _**long**_ time!


	4. Ranger Stiles Full Moon

**SUNDAY**  
**FULL MOON**  
**May 6th, 2012**  
  
  
I wake up In Peter's arms. It takes me a minute to remember the nightmares and how he wound up in my bed. At least I'm wearing sweatpants, and he's wearing his boxer briefs that _ **don't**_ leave _**anything**_ to the imagination. I've already seen him naked, so I _**do**_ imagine him _**very**_ naked in my bed and _**arms**_.  
  
I should not be objectifying another man that would _**never**_ want a teenager in _**that**_ way. Not like I would _**ever**_ turn the man down. He's built like Adonis, and I fell for the guy. I realized how much I cared about him when I had to give Cora mouth to mouth.  
  
We eat breakfast and then he seductively shimmies out of his underwear and goes on his morning run. He comes back as I finish dressing in my uniform. He hugs me as we hear a knock at the door. It's Marco. Peter pulls on fancy sweatpants and a hoody. The man still looks like a supermodel. Wouldn't want to scare the poor man.

  
  
I get the door and introduce Ranger Marco to my _**roommate**_ , Peter. I left my jacket upstairs, in my room, so I rush to get it.  
  
When I come back downstairs, I discover a very tense Peter quietly having an intense word with a very pale Ranger Marco.

  
  
Peter walks us through the front door and tells Marco to keep an out for me because he's very protective and possessive of HIS roommate and doesn't want anything happening to me. Did that have a double meaning?

 

  
  
We patrol, and I learn how to do the reports and paperwork. Marco doesn't touch me as much, so I'm not as uncomfortable around him. I wonder what Peter said to him?  
  
My patrol schedule will be Tuesday thru Sunday, 9:30- 6 pm. That means I'm off tomorrow. At lunchtime, Marco eats a couple of greasy bacon cheeseburgers. I just sit in the jeep and wait for him to finish eating. I used to make dad eat healthy food and ate with him so the only indulgence I allowed myself was curly fries. Now the sight of greasy, unhealthy food like that turns my stomach. I don't think I've eaten curly fries since February of 2011. That's over a year, and I don't miss them.  
  
I get bored waiting, so get out and lean on his jeep. I use my iPhone to check my mail, look up points of interest in the area.  I mean Wawona has a population of 169 (counting Peter and me). Good thing I got a wifi hotspot as Peter did.  
  
Hmmm. The cabin behind mine foreclosed years ago, and the one behind that's for sale. It's one bed, one bath so not selling. It's $450k compared to my $650k cabin. Might be viable for Malia if she still wants to join us. I'll talk to Peter about it.  
  
  
  
Marco is finally finished eating, comes out and hands me a bag. I arch my brow at him in confusion, open it and about barf when I see it's another greasy burger. He says it's for me, but the smell's nauseating, so I toss it. I apologize, "I eat healthy food, and the smell of that makes me nauseous. That's why I had to wait out here while you ate."  
  
He says "sorry. I didn't realize. Does your roommate eat like you?"  
  
I'm curious where this is going, so play along. "Yes, Peter eats healthier and greener than I do. He likes to cook as much as I do."  
  
Marco gets nervous and shuffles his feet before he asks "does your roommate make idle threats? I mean, is he dangerous? He doesn't seem totally stable."  
  
I laugh. "No. Peter doesn't make a threat unless he can back it up. That depends on how you define dangerous. He's not exactly the poster child for a well-adjusted adult. We both have a lot of baggage, but he hides it better."  
  
Marco goes pale as a sheet and says "I was afraid of that."  
  
"Now you have me curious. What _ **did**_ Peter say to you? I like you're not touching me as much, but _**what**_ did he tell you when I was upstairs?"  
  
He nervously looks around, like he expects to see Peter hiding behind a nearby tree, stalking us, and quietly says "He told me not to say anything."  
  
I stare at him and say "I can be relentless when I want to find out something. _**What**_ did Peter _**say**_ to you? Did he threaten you?"  
  
Marco huffs and says in a shaky voice "he said I shouldn't be touching you. You belong to him, and he didn't appreciate me encroaching on his territory, whatever that means. If he caught me making moves on you, he'd ensure my life was a living hell, and I'd beg to die."  
  
I stare at him, open-mouthed. That _**would**_ mean he's _**not**_ just flirting. He _**does**_ want me in _**that**_ way! When I dropped my scent spell, and he acted weird, maybe it was because I smell like his perfect mate. I researched werewolves mating habits extensively when I was trying to see if Kira and Scott could get together in that way.  
  
The striptease he does twice a day is to show me he's a healthy and attractive specimen. He hasn't done anything to indicate he can provide for me or that he's dominant. Maybe, agreeing to be in HIS pack suggests I accept he's dominant. Perhaps his constant touching isn't to scent mark me, maybes it's to get me used to physical contact with him so he can move to the next level. I wonder how long he plans on waiting before he makes his move? Providing for me would mean protection or hunting.  
  
I got lost in thought, and now Marco's looking at me nervously and fearfully. Did he just snap his fingers to get my attention? I shake my head to clear out the cobwebs before saying "I won't tell him. I thought he was only flirting. I didn't know he's just as interested in me as I am in him. Thanks for the heads up."  
  
Marco looks disappointed when he says "you're interested in _**him?**_  
  
I say "yeah, I have been for a while. I thought my age would make Peter not even think of me in that way, so I never said anything about it."  
  
Marco curiously asks "how old _**are**_ you?"  
  
I smile and say "I'll turn 18 in January."  
  
He looks shocked. He says "you're only 17?"  
  
I say "yeah. I got my emancipation a few years ago, and I took my exit exam early. I made valedictorian. I don't think my dad noticed I left yet. Says something about our relationship, doesn't it?" I sigh sadly.

 

We finish the day, and he drops me off at home at 7 pm. I hang up my jacket by the bedroom door. Sunset is in the next 15 to 30 minutes, depending on trees and mountain view. It's a full moon tonight, and Peter hasn't been out on the full moon in months.

I found a note in the kitchen, on the counter, saying he's running in the forest tonight, enjoying his first full moon, freedom, and nature.

  
  
  
I change and go to the basement. I get a vial of my unique homemade _WPMP_ (Werewolf powers mimic potion) crafted from the night blooming Wolfsbane. I keep it hidden in a secret panel, and I take a dose. Two minutes later the night vision and strength kick in. I put the bottle back.  
  
I get a bucket and the equipment I need to make a new batch, and I go to the cave. I use the night vision to navigate, and the werewolf strength and agility to jump the chasm in the cave to get to my plants.

  
  
I collect a few petals and make a new batch. I've been taking this potion for months, so I not only get their strength, dexterity and night vision, but I also get their hearing and sense of smell.

  
  
I sense a werewolf and hear Peter's heartbeat. Did he follow me? He's observing me from far enough away only a wolf can feel him. I pretend I don't notice him. He has to know what plant this is. I mop the sweat off my forehead and stopper up the two bottles of potion I just made.  
  
I now know Peter's trying to seduce me with his body. He indicated he finds my body attractive when he was flirting. Two can play that game.  
  
  
  
In this section of the cave, I built a stairway down to the spring because it's harder to get to than the spring near the opening. _**But**_ it's more private. I skinny dip here every month so I keep a towel on the platform near the water.  
  
I walk down to the hot spring and strip down seductively. I hear Peter's heartbeat speed up, and I smell his arousal. I smile to myself and dive into the water. I stretch and float for close to ten minutes before I get out, put on my jeans, carrying my shirt and underwear back to the cabin.  
  
I put everything in the bucket and navigate the cave. I hear Peter following me. I smell his confusion when I jump the ravine and navigate the cave with night vision. He didn't follow me after all. He must've picked up my scent or heartbeat after I got here. I run with werewolf speed back to the cabin, and I hear him behind me, pacing me at a distance.  
  
At home, I go to the basement and put the potions with the other one in the wall, rotating them, so the older ones are in the front, and put up my elixir making supplies. I go upstairs and take a shower. The shower has open windows. I'm sure even with the lights off that he's getting quite the show of me showering and _**enjoying**_ myself from his position in the trees outside, and across the yard.  
  
  
  
I'm in the kitchen drinking a glass of water when he walks in, naked and sweaty, with his red eyes glowing. I admire the site as he comes in, takes my glass and takes a sip.  
  
As usuaI, my brain to mouth filter is seriously lagged when I say "you have the most beautiful ruby red eyes."  
  
  
  
Peter smiles fondly and asks "have you had a productive day, little one?"  
  
I smile and say "as a matter of fact, I have!" I pick up my iPhone and show him the map of the land next to my cabin.  
  
  
  
I say "this 650k is this cabin, this square is an estate foreclosed on years ago." I point to the $450k and say "this cabin is for sale. It's one bed, one bath which isn't popular around here. I thought if Malia does ever come here, that would be perfect for her. It's small and close by but separate from us, so we all have privacy."  
  
He smiles and says "you're always thinking ahead." he grabs my neck and pulls me in for a hug before letting me go. And there's the dominance.  
  
I say "did you enjoy your first _**free**_ full moon?"  
  
  
  
He smiles and says "yes I did. It would've been better if I wasn't the only werewolf, but it's a start." He looks at me intently before saying "Stiles? I thought I saw you running as fast as a werewolf through the forest. That wouldn't be possible, though, would it? You're not a werewolf, right?"  
  
I choke on my water and cough. Peter pats my back to help.  
  
I look at him and say "you may have seen me. No, I'm not a werewolf, but I have a plant that only blooms on the full moon. I use it to make a potion mimicking werewolf abilities. I call it my _**WPMP**_. It lets me have night vision to navigate my cave and the strength and dexterity to jump the chasm that protects my night blooming plants. It also mimics the werewolves speed. It's supposed to last for 6 hours. I needed to make a new batch and can only make it on the full moon when my plant's in bloom. I didn't think you'd see me."  
  
Peter looks at me intently as he asks "what night blooming plant is this? I've never heard of a potion that mimics our abilities. Does it give you our hearing and smell?"  
  
I have to word my answer to say no without lying. I don't want to lie to Peter. I say "it's made to mimic the physical abilities that change when you shift and not your senses you have all the time. I obviously can't physically change so my eyes don't glow and I don't get fangs and claws."  
  
He smiles as he says "I see. What plant is this? What is it called?"  
  
I shrug and say "I never learned the English name of it. I just refer to it as my moon-flowers. It's a secret. I found out about it from my grandmother's journals, _**which**_ are in Polish."  
  
Peter is content to let it go and ask how my day went. I say "it went a lot better today. Marco wasn't touching me every time I turned around, so I wasn't as uncomfortable as yesterday. I did have a little problem at lunch. He wanted to eat greasy cheeseburgers. The sight and smell made me nauseous. I waited outside, by the jeep, while he ate. He brought me a bag. When I opened it and saw another greasy burger, I about barfed. I threw it away. I hadn't realized eating the way I have to get dad to eat healthy changed the way I view food. I haven't had curly fries since the night you attacked Larson in the video store. Surprisingly, I don't miss them."  
  
Peter says "You remember the night I attacked Larson because you were eating curly fries? That was the last time?"  
  
I smile and say "that was the main point you got out of that? I remember what I was eating that night because I was in dad's squad car. He was eating a burger, that was _**not**_ greasy, and raw veggies with ranch dressing. I was eating curly fries when he got the call over the radio. We were the closest. I promised to stay in the car. I noticed Derek and Scott on the roof as I sat in the patrol car. They saw me, but I pretended not to see them."

I look at him and watch for his reactions as I say "I noticed they got up there easily. Dad saw how you came out of the video store but not how you got in. Next day after they cleared the scene, I went to the roof and saw the spiral. Scott and Derek walked right across it and never noticed it. I didn't bother to point it out. Scott didn't know what a spiral meant, and Derek wouldn't tell him. I found it in one of the old books I found."  
  
He got wide-eyed when I mention the spiral and thoughtful when I say Scott didn't know what it meant. He smells of pride when I say I found it in an old book.  
  
Peter says "I heard _**everything**_ you said. I _**always**_ pay full attention to you whenever you speak. I'm glad you weren't uncomfortable, and I'm happy you don't have his scent all over you today. I'm sorry you nearly got sick from the smell of the greasy food, I feel the same way when I get too close to that shit. You'll never find me eating at a Whataburger or an In-N-Out Burger. Most fast food is unhealthy. Your resourcefulness and ingenuity never cease to amaze me. You're my first choice for my second in _**our**_ pack."  
  
I ask "second? As in second in command? Your Lieutenant?"  
  
He smiles and says "yes."  
  
I mouth wow and then I change the subject because I'm uncomfortable being complimented. I say "my work schedule has me off on Sundays and Mondays and I work 9:30-6. I'm washing clothes tomorrow. Do you want me to clean yours or do you bring your clothes to the dry cleaners?"  
  
He laughs and says "I don't like the chemical smell they leave on my clothes. I wash them myself. I don't think it's fair for you to do your work and mine. How about _**we**_ both wash our clothes tomorrow?"  
  
I say "Okay. One other little thing." I hold my fingers in the universal symbol for small as I say in slight embarrassment "my usual routine is to do my deep cleaning of the cabin, the day after the full moon. Scott always slept all day, on the day after, and didn't look for me."  
  
I run my hand through my hair nervously and shuffle around before I continue. "Since it's the deep cleaning I do once a month, it's hot and sweaty work, and I have a habit of doing it ..."  I look down and mumble " ... in the nude. I know that's a problem since you don't want to see my scrawny, naked body running around getting dirty. I'll do most of it before you get up and wear something I'm not too worried about getting filthy."  
  
I smell his arousal before he pushes it down. He says "don't change your routine because of me. As a matter of fact, I can help. I'm sure my strength and stamina will make the cleaning go faster. You're right. It's hot and sweaty work and doing it in the nude _**is**_ rather intelligent. I suggest we both clean tomorrow, in the nude is more than fine with me. You are _**not**_ scrawny. You may be lithe, but you _**are**_ toned and sculpted in _**all**_ the right places." He does a quick glance up and down my body. "You have a heavenly body. Not as divine as mine, but still stellar."

  
  
His heart skips when he says not as divine as his. Does he like my body? He thinks my body is as fantastic as his? How is that even possible?  
  
He asks to borrow my laptop so he can order a computer of his own and some clothes from Amazon and Stitch Fix. I hand him my laptop and say goodnight before heading to bed.

 


	5. A Day of Discovery

**MONDAY**  
**May 7th**

I keep waking up in Peter's arms because of the nightmares. It's nice to finally feel safe enough to go back to sleep and sleep the rest of the night. I had forgotten what it's like to sleep.

I strip down, head downstairs, drink some of my WMPM and get my cleaning supplies. I want the stamina and strength to get this done. I always start upstairs and work my way down.

I go up to the attic. I outfitted it as a guest room for long-term guest. I open the window to air out the room and strip down the bed. I dust and use the motorless, old style, carpet sweeper on the carpets. I flip the mattress over and put new sheets on the bed. I clean the bathroom and close the window before taking the bed-sheets downstairs and put it in the wash.

Stiles cleaning nude

 

 

I do the same with the spare room down the hall from my room and do the same to Peter's room.

I move the wash to the dryer and start the next load of bedclothes. Peter just woke up, so he helps me with my room.

Peter says in a joking manner "maybe I should sleep in your bed since you always wake up with night terrors. You seem to sleep the rest of the evening once I'm in _**your**_ bed with you. Maybe, if I start out the night in your bed, you won't have them."

I hear his steady heart as I look at him and say "that's because I feel safe when you're with me. I suppose that's practical. I don't want to take advantage of you like that, and I'm always hoping I won't have them. I have always had them, since Brunski, Gerard, and ... abused me. I guess I've seen and lived through too much not to have problems. I'm just a big baby. Do you _**ever**_ have nightmares?"

Peter comes up to me, pulls me to his chest in a tight embrace, puts his hand on my neck as he lifts my chin to look into his eyes. He says "you are _ **not**_ a big baby. A demon controlled your body, did horrible things to people you _**love**_ as you _**watched**_ , helpless. You couldn't move, scream, or warn anyone. When I was in a coma, I wasn't aware. I didn't face the same horrors you did, but I can sympathize because I very well could've been aware. I'm sorry I didn't realize faster that there was something wrong."

 

Peter continues "you were tortured and faced death on more than one occasion. Yes. I have them, but you have to remember, according to most people, I _**am**_ the nightmare. It's reasonable and expected. You don't take advantage of me, and I'm working hard at not taking advantage of you. If you _**ever**_ think I _**am**_ , let me know. It would kill me to know I ever hurt you. You're the one person I care about, and you keep me anchored in reality."

I see the sincerity in his eyes and hear his steady heart, so I nod and say "okay. I don't think I'd have as many nightmares if you sleep with me, as long as you wear something. Remember. I'm a virgin, gay male. And a teenager." My brains filter must be faulty because I say "I don't think sleeping is what I'd want to be doing with such a well-hung, gorgeous naked man draped over me in bed. My imagination has too many other possibilities with your naked body touching me."

He laughs and whispers near my ear "you _**can**_ touch me anywhere or anyplace you want, naked or not. I won't **_ever_** complain."

When my jaw drops, and I realize what I said, I facepalm. "I didn't mean to say that out loud. I am _**not**_ objectifying you." Lusting maybe but not objectifying, Thank God my heart stays steady!

Peter laughs as he asks "well-hung, huh? I suppose I am, _**if**_ you consider fourteen inches hung? I wear underwear to bed during the winter. Summer gets a little warm, but I'll wear underwear to make you feel comfortable."

My eyes go wide, and he laughs softly. Fourteen inches, soft! Damn! How long is he when he's hard. Need to stop that train of thought before I get in trouble. Since we're both naked, he wouldn't miss that reaction.

We get back to work with occasional breaks to move laundry from washer to dryer and starting next loads. We cleaned the stairs and banisters and wiped down all of the ceiling fan blades.

It is faster to have a werewolf pick up the couches, bookcases, stove, washing machine and dryer but slower because I keep getting distracted watching the way his naked body moves and the positions he can get in. The man is just as flexible as I am and I took dance once upon a time.

He catches me appraising his naked body, and I say "having Hercules as a roommate makes this easier. Thanks, big guy." His tip moves when I call him that and I smell his arousal. Nice to know that calling him 'big guy' turns him on. Maybe my being smaller than him appeals to him.

We clean all the carpets. Peter's very grateful I don't have a vacuum. I point out electricity isn't guaranteed here. That's why I have a gas stove as well as a gas water heater and a small wood burning stove in the corner to add more heat. Vacuums always break down, have to be taken apart and cleaned. It's more efficient to have a motorless one.

Peter points out it's better for werewolves' ears because vacuums hurt his ears and give him the worst headaches. I say "I never thought of that. I guess that's why most canines can't stand the things."

We make lunch and put it in the oven to cook while we head upstairs to take our showers. Man the perks of walking behind a naked Peter's ass walking up the stairs! I'm sure he smells my arousal since I can smell it. I escape to the shower before he can call me on it.

After lunch, Peter asks if he can see the basement. I bring him down and show him my witches closet, as I call it. I tell him "I'll leave it unlocked, but we need to lock it if no one is going to be home." I give him a key to the basement.

Peter seems impressed. He finds the 200-year-old book on werewolf mating rituals and racial compatibilities.

He asks "why would you find this of interests?"

He reads "when a werewolf finds a mate they go through a wooing courtship ritual where they prove they're worthy, prove they can provide, prove they're dominant, and prove they can protect their chosen mate and keep them safe. Showing them that they love them isn't always required but a werewolf deeply in love will go to great lengths to show their chosen mate that they have given them their heart."

He looks impressed and says "this book is amazingly accurate. It's apparently written by a werewolf or their soul mate. How did you get a 200-year-old family Lycanthrope Tome on mating in the first place?"

I take the book and show him the chapter on wolves and foxes. I say "Someone owed me a favor. Scott wanted me to research if Werewolves and Kitsune are compatible. I never show _**them**_ the books I use to research the information. I _**let**_ them assume I use Google. We both know that when you _**assume**_ , _**U**_ make an _**ASS**_ out of _**U** _ and _**ME.**_ "

He picks up the book on the different ways to become a werewolf and sees I have the chapter on bite rejection bookmarked. He says "and this?"

I say "when I heard Paige died of bite rejection, I wanted to know why. I found out witches reject the bite and die 90% of the time, _**unless**_ they take a potion to ensure it takes."

He sees that I wrote the recipe for the elixir on the bookmark along with the note that I call it my _**WMPM**_.

I continue "The only other thing that causes rejection is ingesting mountain ash. I made a joke about wishing Gerard's meds got switched with mountain ash so he'd reject Derek's bite and die. Scott took the bait and replaced his pills."

He asks me "so did you find out why Paige rejected the bite?"

I about get whiplash looking back at him. "You don't know? Oh my God! I thought once Kate was dead, she'd run to gloat about it, and everything else _**they**_ blamed you for doing." He looks at me blankly as I panic about him being angry with me if I tell him how his family betrayed him.

He knows I'm panicking a little. He says "Stiles, calm down. I think I need to know whatever you found. I would never be angry at you for letting me know something I need to know."

I nod, walk to the far corner, pull out a lockbox, and set it on the table. I get the key from over the door frame and unlock the box. I pull out two of the three diaries. One is partially burned. I hand them to Peter.

He looks at them and says "this is Laura's diary from 2005, and this is Kate's from the same period. Is the third book in the box Laura's diary from before her death?"

I sadly nod. Peter says "I take it from your reaction, what's in here is going to upset me. Can you give me an idea of what's in them before I read these?"

I sigh, run my hand through my hair, and say "did you ever wonder why a spiral carved in a deer would bring Laura running back to Beacon Hills from NYC, as soon as she heard about it. Spirals mean revenge or vendetta. Why would a _**victim**_ come back to check on a vendetta marker?"

He narrows his eyes and stops to think about it. I see when he makes the connection. His jaw drops and he says "the bitch!"

He takes all three books upstairs to my reading nook by the stairs and settles in to read while I open my bookmarks and go back to reading through Yosemite's online library about the area, and it's history.

A couple of hours later Peter sits behind me at the counter, lays his head on my shoulder, pulls me into a tight embrace as he shudders, and then leans heavily on me. I lean back into him and wrap my arm around his. I wait for him to say something.

Peter sadly sighs as he says "all this time, I held Derek responsible for losing my family. Now, I find Derek was more of a victim than I was. Laura and Kate planned the entire thing, and they used him as the fall guy. Laura blamed me for Ennis biting Paige and Derek for killing her, but she asked Ennis to do it _**after**_ she gave Paige the mountain ash because she wanted to see what it would do. How did we not see how insane she was?"

I pat his arm as I say "some of the most psychotic people in history looked and acted like everyone else. That's part of being psychotic. Look at Jeffrey Dahmer."

Peter sighs and asks "did you tell any of this to Derek?"

I say "I said he didn't plan to kill his family. He was a teenager, and Kate was an adult. It's a felony to have sex with minors ten years younger than you. She knew what she was doing. It wasn't his fault."

He says "so you didn't show him these?"

"No. I didn't get the diaries until after Chris killed Kate in Mexico and she told me where they were. Derek had already left Beacon Hills by then."

He looks at them and says "do you have a problem with me sending them to Derek? With a letter telling him, he needs to read these."

I say "no. I don't have a problem with it. I _**do**_ ask you use tracking on the package and ensure Derek signs for it. I don't want them lost or misplaced."

Peter says "agreed. I think it would be better received if it has your name on it instead of mine. Would you mind writing a letter saying he needs to read these and here's the proof he had nothing to do with the fire?"

I write the letter. Peter says "thanks. I'm going to the post office to mail them to Derek. I know his address."

I study more history of the area and email a local Witch I talk with about spells and herbs. She wants to buy some of the unique plants that I only have available.

 

My laptop chimes with an alert. I open it up and see I'm getting a feed from Deaton's office. I open up the video feed.

 

It's Scott and Liam talking to Deaton. Deaton is saying "Peter killed Valack this morning. Looks like he escaped between 8 and 10 am. Have you seen or heard from him?"

Scott says "no. But he wouldn't come to us after we imprisoned him, unless it's to kill us. We'd be dead before we even knew he's there."

Deaton impatiently says "call Stiles and ask if he's seen him. Peter would go to Stiles first. They have a history of protecting and trusting each other."

Scott says "I haven't spoken to him since I kicked him out of the pack and told him not to bother the others. I haven't seen him at our school since. He's probably sulking in his room, waiting for me to apologize. I'm not apologizing or calling a killer."

Liam says "His jeep is still parked in front of his house and he hasn't answered any of my calls. Everything goes straight to voicemail, and Stiles would never kill anyone. Who told you he's a murderer?"

Scott looks put out that the runt is trying to defend me and says "Theo did. He apparently saw the entire thing."

Liam looks at him in shock and turns to Deaton. "Deaton? Tell him Stiles wouldn't kill anyone! He's not like that!"

Deaton says "people change. If he's a killer, maybe we should lock him in Eichen House to make sure he doesn't kill anyone else."

Scott says "we don't have any proof because there's no body and no report was made."

Deaton says in exasperation "We didn't have any evidence on Peter when we locked him up under Eichen either." Scott doesn't even notice he just admitted they had no right to imprison Peter.

Liam and Scott leave to figure out who the last chimera is.

 

A few minutes later the bell on the front door chimes as Morrell angrily storms in and demands "what do you want? What's so important you can't ask me over the phone?"

"Did you help Peter get out?"

She angrily glares at him. "That's what you had to ask me? If I helped him escape? No! I didn't! You had no right locking him up. He never broke any laws. You illegally detained him." She gets a thoughtful and considering look on her face as she asks "Why would you ask me IF I helped him?"

Deaton says "he had to have help escaping. I can't figure out how he did it. There's nothing on the cameras. It was someone that knew the system _**and**_ had access. You know both. The escape was too perfectly executed. A professional, a highly trained Witch, or a Druid had to do it. Have you taught anyone?"

Morrell looks wounded as she says "No. I haven't. I was thinking about training Stiles. He'd be a natural Witch, it'd be a challenge to loosen up the Druid teaching method to teach him, but it'd be worth it."

Deaton says "No! You can't train _**him!**_ He knows I purposely didn't teach him magic and put weakening herbs in his ice bath so the Nogitsune could take him over. I'm not sure what else _**it**_ may have told or revealed to him about me."

He sighs and shakes his head. "If only Peter bit Stiles instead of Scott. We'd have a thriving pack here by now with a stable power base and a couple of weak wolves I control. No, It had to be stupid, narcissistic, gullible Scott. He disobeyed me when I told him to call Stiles, and we need to lock him up. He's no longer of any use to me. Theo has everything in place to kill him on the next full moon."

Morrell says "don't you tire of building packs and destroying them when your hand-picked leader realizes you're two-faced and lying through your teeth because you want control of the Nemeton? I had enough of your treacherous ways after you introduced Laura to Kate so they'd kill Talia. Shame they decided to kill the entire pack, isn't it? Miscalculated on that one, didn't you?"

He shrugs and coldly says "I was going to kill her wolf pack, one by one, with accidents and supposed hunters anyway. They saved me the trouble."

Morrell arches her eyebrow in cynicism and says "Good luck on your Peter problem. You better hope he doesn't find out you plan to kill Stiles or he'll kill you. Slowly! He loves Stiles and will do anything to protect him. He proved that with the Nogitsune. Stiles showed he's in love with Peter when only he could get in Stiles' head. Derek, Satomi, and Scott tried, but only Peter was let in by _**Stiles**_ to stop the Nogitsune. Stiles was able to stop it when it went after Peter. He wouldn't let it hurt him." She continues "Stiles may not kill you for planning to kill Peter, but he'll make you wish he did. Then he'll hand you over to _**him**_ on a silver platter. If I were you, I'd cut my losses, and run."

She haughtily turns on her high heels and leaves. As soon as the door closes, Deaton punches the table in anger and frustration. I shut the feed down and power off the laptop.

 

Does Peter love me? The reason I could stop the Nogitsune from hurting him is I love him! The reason he got in my mind is, I let him! Does anyone else realize that's how he got in my head? How long has he returned my feelings and I never realized it? How do I get him to admit it or act on it? If I could have him, it would be worth losing dad!

An hour later Peter returns with Chinese takeout. While we're talking, I tell him "they don't know I'm gone but they think you escaped this morning. They can't figure out how you got out, but Deaton thinks Morrell helped because he thinks it's an inside job. He's trying to get Scott to call me about you and to lock me up in Eichen House, but Scott doesn't want anything to do with a killer, and they can't prove I killed anyone."

Peter asks "how do you know all of this?"

I say "I programmed the monitor he uses for X-rays in the back of his shop to send a video feed to my computer whenever the light is on in the back room (read they're having a werewolf meeting)."

Peter smiles as he says "count on you to have a plan to watch your enemies."

I blush and slowly say "Deaton also says Scott's no longer of any use to him and Theo will kill him on the next full moon."

Peter looks at me intently as he cautiously asks "so when are you going back to Beacon Hills? How long before you leave me here to go save _**him?"**_

Do I smell fear? Concern? Sadness? Loss? Is he afraid I'll leave him for Scott? I scoff and say "I'm not! That part of my life is _**over**_. I can never go back to that." I wave around the cabin and say "this is my life now. Besides, Deaton wants me dead or under Eichen House. I'm not going to make it easy for him. I miss my dad and worry about him being safe, but that's the only concern I have left about Beacon Hills, him and Melissa."

My heart stayed steady because I told the truth. I smell Peter's happiness and contentment. The _**WMPM**_ potion is lasting for close to twelves hours now. It shouldn't do that.

Peter asks "are you sure? He was like your brother?" He wants to verify I'm staying with him, here.

I say "I'm positive. I'm happy here. I like having someone listen to me and _**want**_ me around and not use me until something or someone better comes along. I know I can never trust Scott again. How long before he would casually discard me again. It hurt when he wasn't going to do anything to stop Deucalion from killing me because he would rather protect his mom who was safe at the time. All the bastard did, was tell Deuc to leave town. Scott didn't even make sure he left town."

Peter smiles at me as he says "I'm sorry that you lost him, but I'm glad you realize he can never be trusted again. I made sure Deucalion left town because I didn't want him going after me or anyone I _**cared**_ about."

I get up to clean up and wash dishes. Peter helps as usual. It's nice having someone give me a hand with the housework and not depend on me to do everything for them. That was actually draining.

 

Afterward, I tell him I need to do some work in the greenhouse. He says he'll watch tv. He turns on the tv as I go out the door. I bet he checks the video file of the feed from Deaton's office.

I'm halfway through my greenhouse chore when Peter comes out and offers to help. He helps me weed, picks off the brown leaves, and water the plants. I say "thanks. I have to work tomorrow, so I'm going to shower and go to bed."

We both go to our separate showers. While Peter's ensuring all the doors and windows are locked, I plug in my computer to charge. I notice it's on, but I know I left it off. I check the history and see he watched the video file. I leave it the way he left it, but I ensure it's plugged in and head for bed.

I'm getting in bed when Peter walks in and climbs into my bed with me. He spoons me and wraps me in his arms. I snuggle back against his chest and am soon fast asleep. I don't have any nightmares. Blessed slumber.

 


	6. Peter talks to Morrell

**TUESDAY**   
**MAY 15th, 2012**

  
  
  
I'm dreaming of Peter kissing me and other things I want him to do. I slowly wake up to Peter gently combing his fingers through my hair. It's kind of soothing, so I just lie there with my eyes closed. After about 15 minutes Peter says "we should get some breakfast, sleeping beauty."  
  
I chuckle and roll over to face him as I say, "but this is so warm, comfortable and relaxing. Do we have to?" I make a pouting face at him.  
  
Peter chuckles and says "unfortunately, we do." He stands up and strips down as he says "I need to use the bathroom and run the perimeter, while you make breakfast."

 

  
  
He uses the bathroom and hugs me tightly, stroking my back and scent marking me before we head downstairs. Nothing like a _**naked**_ Peter's _**naked**_ body holding you in a tight bear hug. I've got enough jerk off material for years!  
  
I innocently say "you give the best hugs." He just snuffles my neck before going on his run.  
  
When he comes back, I have breakfast on the table. While we're eating, he tells me "I have an errand to run today and will be gone most of the day."  
  
I arch my brow in surprise but say "okay. I'll see you tonight. Be careful, big guy." Yeah, his tip definitely moves when I call him that.  
  
He says "always, little one," and ruffled my hair fondly.  
  
Marco arrives to pick me up, and I go to another fun-filled day at work.  
  
  
  
  
Once Stiles leaves for work Peter gets a strangely shaped carrier bag out and puts in a rolled up pair of light jeans, a V-neck sweater, and some light tennis shoes. He calls Braeden and tells her to meet him at Morrell's house in two hours. Peter straps the bag around his waist, shifts to full alpha and runs cross country to Beacon Hills. He makes the run in an hour and thirty-five minutes.  
  
Peter dresses in his clothes and heads to Morrell's house.  
  
He waits outside for Braeden to arrive and then he knocks on the door.

Braeden asks "why be civil? We _**need**_ to talk to her, just _**walk**_ in."  
  
Peter says "because you get more flies with honey than vinegar. We want an ally, not another enemy."

  
  
Morrell opens the door and says "Peter? I didn't expect to see you here. How can I help you?"  
  
Braeden says "funny you should ask us that. I don't think you want the neighbors to hear our discussion, though."  
  
Morrell opens the door further and says "where _**are**_ my manners? Won't you come in?" She escorts them to the living room where everyone gets comfortable.

Braeden props her fancy booted feet up on the expensive coffee table, earning a disgusted look from Morrell.

She says "that table is Italian."

Braeden haughtily replies "so are these boots."

Peter taps her leg and shakes his head. "Honey, not vinegar."

Morrell hides her amused smile before she asks "does this involve Stiles? I can't think of any other reason you would reappear in Beacon Hills."  
  
Peter smiles and says "in a way. It's more to do with your brother or should I say, your grandfather?" He notices the slight surprise she shows that he knows.  
  
Braeden says "I found evidence of his advanced age when I was researching what the Nogitsune revealed to Stiles. He wanted to know they are real."  
  
Morrell says "yes, he's my grandfather and I'd rather not help him with any of his schemes and plans. He's destroyed enough lives without my help. I won't help him kill any others."  
  
Peter tilts his head questioningly and asks "like my sister and our pack? Deaton wants Scott to lock up Stiles in Eichen House, but he'd rather kill Stiles. I _**need**_ to keep him _**safe**_ and protected. Deaton _**has**_ to die! How long before he decides to kill Scott because he's not obeying him, or you? _**Has**_ he killed any of your family?"

Morrell says my father died mysteriously of mistletoe poisoning. I think it was him."

Peter says "if he kills his son, you aren't safe from him."

Morrell looks down hesitantly as she says "he told Theo to kill Scott on the next full moon. He kills werewolves on the full moon when they are at their most powerful so he can take that strength. I want my freedom. The only way that'll happen is if he's dead. I'll help you, but you have to leave me alone after. Promise me you'll let me live in peace after!"  
  
Peter says "I promise." He looks at her intently as he conspiratorily adds "I'd also owe you a favor. If I'm capable of helping you in the future, I will."  
  
Morrell nods in understanding as she says "Scott's pack is having a meeting tomorrow to discuss the Dread Doctors. Deaton is  paranoid someone will poison him because that's his _**only**_ weakness."  
  
Braeden smiles and leans back nonchalantly as she asks "so how can we poison the bastard?"  
  
Morrell mischievously smiles as she says "he's developed the habit of helping himself to my drink or food because it _**must**_ be safe if it's mine. If I walk in with a poisoned drink, he'll drink it. I'll wait for it to take effect before I make him tell Scott he's behind everything, in exchange for the antidote. I'll have a vial of water and pretend it's the antidote. I refuse to give him the _**cure!"**_  
  
Braeden says "I'm supposed to show up to protect Malia from the Desert Wolf. I can walk in, shoot him and then leave for Malia's."

She thoughtfully pauses as she looks at Peter. Trying to decide if she's going to tell him the other secrets Stiles has her researching.

She reaches a decision and looks at Peter. "The other matter I researched for Stiles makes me believe you're _**not**_ Malia's father."  
  
Peter's jaw drops as he says in a shocked voice _**"What? How?"**_  
  
Braeden says "no one stated you're a father. Lydia said she heard a baby cry from the claws. She assumed that meant you're a father. Talia believed her efforts for you to impregnate Corrine worked. No one ever did a DNA test."  
  
Morrell says "You couldn't get it up because she's female and you only like males. Deaton made me make a werewolf sedative to knock you out so he could collect your semen for artificial insemination, even though males can't reproduce until they get their first pubes in. How many preteens do you know that have them? That's all I know about it."  
  
Peter asks "I got my first ones when I was 14. I was a little slow in the puberty arena. Braeden, what did you find?"  
  
Braeden says "when a male werewolf is not interested in the female they have to mate with, they tend to shoot blanks, if you know what I mean. That and your age means it's impossible for you to be Malia's father. I don't know who is."  
  
Peter thinks and comes up with an idea. He says "When you kill the desert wolf, say aloud 'if she had any decency, she'd tell Peter how she conceived Malia because Talia ensured he has no memories of it."  
  
Braeden arches her brow in disdain as she says "if she's dead, how can that help?"  
  
Peter smiles evilly as Morrell knowingly says "both Peter and Stiles were dead long enough that they can see and hear the dead. I think that's how they kept in contact while Peter was locked away in Eichen House."  
  
Peter smiles sweetly at her before saying "seeing as you're the one that brought him back from the dead, for me" as an afterthought he adds "and the sake of his father, you'd know all about that ability. Yes. Several ghosts walk the halls of Eichen House. One of them passed messages between us. That helped me stay sane. Being able to talk to him whenever I was losing my grip on reality, even if it was by proxy, is all that kept me sane."  
  
They finalize their plans, and then Peter goes to his rental unit. He collects an extraordinary book on magickal plants and then goes to the Hale vault where he opens the safe and retrieves a wedding ring set. It's a family heirloom passed down for centuries. He strips down, shifts to alpha and runs home with several stops to ensure Scott or Deaton didn't follow him and to feed. He harvested what remained of the deer.

  
  
Peter arrives home with several hours to spare. He studies the Night Blooming Wolfsbane in his book, hides it in the spare bedroom, and starts cooking supper. He prepares the deer several different ways because he needs to please Stiles with his gift and show he can provide for his mate.  


**Stiles POV**

I arrive home in time for supper. I'm impressed with Peter's cooking. I eat a few bites and look at Peter. "Deer? I love deer, but it's hard to come by unless it's hunting season and you bought a license. I'm going to guess you weren't hunting the human way. Thanks for the deer." I smile happily at him and continue to eat hungrily. I really love deer.  
  
Peter happily smiles that I enjoy the meal he cooked for me as he says "I was hungry and in the middle of nowhere. I brought down a deer. When I finished eating, I harvested the remainder for you. I couldn't pass up the chance to provide for you." I raise my brow in surprise. He's telling me _**without**_ telling me this was just for me. "I'm glad you enjoy deer. I didn't think you'd notice the difference."  
  
He looks proud I _**did**_ taste the difference and accept his proof he can provide for me. If he were courting me, this would be one of the steps. Wait! _**Maybe**_ he is courting me and being subtle. He showed me he could protect me, dominate, an excellent physical specimen and he can provide for me. That's all the steps for courting. I smile and say "Deer has a distinctly gamey taste and it's not as fatty. It's healthier than beef. I really love it but rarely get to eat it."

As we finish cleaning up and putting away the dishes my laptop chimes. I wonder what set it off.

  
I open it and check my alerts. It shows my bedroom door opened. I turn on the feed and see Melissa looking around. I back up the feed so that I can see the entire video, and I sit down to watch it. Peter sits next to me as he says "you set up a camera in your room?"  
  
I nod as I distractedly say "I'm pathetic. I wanted to see how long before anyone realized I was gone."  
  
Peter abruptly says "you are _**not**_ pathetic. I'd notice within a day if you were gone. I need to see or hear you daily."

  
  
We see Melissa open the door and yell "Stiles! I need to talk to you! Stiles?" That's when she sees everything on my bed. She reads the letters, _**both**_ of them, and calls my dad with a grim look on her face.  
  
"John? It's Melissa. When was the last time you saw Stiles? ...  You need to come home right now. You need to see this. I can't say what happened to Stiles, but you need to get home and see this. Alone! I don't want this getting out until I find out everything." She hangs up and mutters "I'm going to kill Scott." She paces as she waits for him to arrive.  
  
Ten minutes later dad rushes in and sees everything on the bed. He reads both letters and drops into the chair in shock. "My God! This is dated May 3rd. He left almost _**two weeks**_ ago, and I didn't notice. I'm a horrible father. What the hell happened?" He looks at Melissa and asks "what brought you here?"  
  
She says "Scott has been having problems with the Dread Doctors, can't find the last Chimera, and refused to call Stiles for help. I decided I'd talk to Stiles on my own. He hasn't been at school, and his jeep hasn't left the driveway, so Scott assumed he was sulking here, waiting for an apology. He didn't say what for, only he couldn't forgive Stiles for whatever Stiles did."  
  
Dad turns on my computer and looks for anything to answer questions. "He erased the hard drive and set it back to factory settings. He updated it so no one would notice right away. Let's see what's on this flash drive."  
  
They play the video and see what happened. Melissa says "that's self-defense and he tried to help the boy afterward. That's not murder. Scott has some serious explaining to do. Is there any way to see what he did or where he went."  
  
John says "maybe. He backs up things he _**needs**_ to be kept safe in the cloud. He's a little _OCD_ about it. Chris says that's how he got Gerard to let him go after Scott betrayed him and gave Stiles' files of evidence to him."  
  
Melissa says "wait a minute. He betrayed Stiles, stole evidence, and gave it to Gerard? What do you mean by letting him go? What did that monster do to Stiles?"  
  
John says "yeah. Gerard immediately has one of his goons shoot me, kidnap and torture Stiles. He was about to kill him and told him he'd kill me next when Stiles tells Gerard he backed everything up on the cloud and set the evidence to go to the police and the FBI if anything happens to him. Chris didn't find out about it until Gerard angrily had to let him go and he talked Chris into letting Erica and Boyd go."  
  
Melissa says "my God!" She thinks and says "when he disappeared from the Lacrosse field and reappeared later with busted ribs, a split lip, multiple cuts and abrasions, and a cut on his face. Scott had me dealing with Jackson and his supposed body that was metamorphosing."

  
John looks surprised when he asks "busted ribs? He told me kids from the opposing team did it because he didn't want me to go after Gerard and get killed by him. I saw his face but didn't know about the ribs. He took so much pain and suffering to protect Scott and me. I didn't know he died until just now when I read his letter."

  
  
Melissa thoughtfully says "it had to be after the Nogitsune. Peter and Morrell brought a feeble, severely dehydrated and feverish Stiles to me. I treated him, and he begged me not to tell you. He was weak for a couple of hours, but he suddenly got his strength back and hobbled out. He said he just needed to rest. Peter was leeching his pain the entire time. He wouldn't leave his side."  
  
John finds the iCloud and looks for the security question to access it. It's my real name backward. He feeds it in and sees several files. "Okay this must be the backup of the Gerard archive, but this folder here is dated three years ago. He has it hidden here, so it's got to be critical to him."

  
I mutter out loud, utterly forgetting Peter's right next to me "crap! Don't play that file. That's not a file you want to see. Please don't look at that. I can't have anyone see me like that." Of course, he can't hear me and plays it anyway. Damn!  
  
I hide my face in my hands as I do some deep breathing to calm down before I give myself a panic attack. I didn't want dad to ever know about _**that!**_ I don't want anyone to know about that.  
  
  
  
The video opens in detention in school. Harris is dragging me by my arm to the blackboard by his desk. The video was from three years ago when I was 13. He shoves me towards at the blackboard and tells me to write a formula on the board. The formula is above what he was teaching, so I shouldn't know it, but I did. I write it, and he slaps me across the face, hard. He split my lip.  
  
Melissa covers her mouth as the video shows Harris telling me to take my clothes off. I yell _**"NO!"**_  
  
He punches me in the chest, then pulls me off the ground by my hair, and bends me over his desk as he starts unbuckling his belt and dropping his pants. I knew he was going to rape me, so I fought back, screaming and yelling. I hit him in the nose with my head and kneed him in the nuts. He gets a chokehold on me, and I frantically stretch and grab the beaker on his desk. I hit him in the head with it.  
  
The principal comes in to see why I'm screaming and yelling. He sees my cut lip and my soon to be a black eye and the smashed beaker. Harris tells him I assaulted him. I angrily ask "then why is his dick out and his pants down? Check the tape and watch him attempt to rape me. I'm sure my dad would like to see that video."  
  
Harris goes pale as he asks "video? What video?"  
  
I say "after Kate Argent, the teacher you banged in the classroom, left a naked kid in detention so she could burn his family with _**your**_ chemicals and formulas, the new policy is to film _**all**_ after school disciplines!"

He asks " _ **how**_ did you know about Kate?"

"You were never very subtle about which teachers and students you were screwing." Harris gets a murderous look on his face and steps forward.

Principal Kane steps between them and says "remember the part where your actions are against the law, and his dad is the Sheriff? Unless you are trying to get yourself jailtime, I suggest you get control of yourself."

Harris says "you haven't proven anything."

Principal Kane pulls up the feed on his tablet that he always carries with him. We see Harris assault and attempt to rape me and threaten my grades if I say anything.

I say "looks proven to me."

Principal Kane asks Harris "if I look at your other detentions will I see you having sex with students and raping them?" He looks pointedly at Harris.  
  
Harris says "Stiles is the only kid I _**had**_ to force. All the others willingly gave me blowjobs or let me have sex with them for better grades."  
  
He glares at the professor angrily. "Harris? Tell me why I don't fire you right now?"  
  
Harris smugly says "if you do, then I let the police know you knew Kate left a naked kid in detention while she took my chemicals to burn the kid's family. You've known all along its arson, and you can say something and have it declared an arson instead of an accident, but you want to protect your sacred school's reputation."  
  
He looks at Harris with hatred. "Fine, but you can't ever drop Stiles grade below a B, and you can never have detention with just one kid in it ever again. Get out!"  
  
After he leaves, I hug myself. I say "I need a copy of the video to protect myself from Harris. He holds grudges and tries to punish students for any slight he sees parents giving him, real or imagined." He agrees to give me a copy of the first part, and I say "my dad's a cop, if he sees part of the file is missing, he's going to assume it's worse than it was. I need the full file." He agrees and emails it to me.  
  
Dad saves the files to the flash drive and then emails it to his work email. He says "I can't believe that bastard tried to rape my 13-year-old son. He knew all along Kate was the killer, used his chemicals, didn't say anything, and told me it was some blonde he met in a bar. I'm also going to nail ex-principal Kane for not protecting the kids from a rapist or getting Stiles help. No wonder I occasionally see glimpses of an insecure Stiles waiting to be punished and reprimanded for things he didn't do."

  
  
I rake my hand over my face in shame that dad saw that. That's when I remember Peter sitting next to me _**as**_ he drapes himself around me for a hug. He says "you have no reason to be ashamed or feel guilty for something he had no right to do. You were justified in fighting him off. Frankly, if Jennifer hadn't killed him, I'd hunt down and castrate the bastard."  
  
I lay my head on his shoulder and bury my face in his neck as I fight the urge to cry. I sadly say "It always felt like I must've done something to get his attention, it must've been my fault. I must've provoked him somehow."  
  
Peter curls his arm protectively around me and holds me. We hear on the video feed dad calling Principal Thomas.  
  
  
"Principal Thomas? This is Sheriff Stilinski. I was wondering if you could tell me the last time you saw Stiles? ... Thank you."  
  
He hangs up and looks at Mellissa as he dials Alexi. "Stiles took his exit exam Friday morning, on the 4th, at 6 am. He scored high enough to be the valedictorian."  
  
He dials another number. "Alexi? I'm Johnathan Stilinski. I was wondering if you could tell me the last time you saw or heard from my son, Wilkksiezycawyc? ... Could you text me the license plate? ... Thank you."  
  
He looks at Melissa and says "Stiles bought a disposable beater car on Thursday the 3rd, and said he was leaving and never coming back."  
  
He gets a text, looks at it, and then calls the station "Let me talk to deputy Graeme." He waits a minute for her to get on the line. "Tara? I need you to do me a personal favor, and keep it quiet. It appears Stiles and Scott had a falling out, and Scott told him to get out. Instead of killing himself, he left town because he can't be here and not be able to see Scott. I have the license plate of the car he bought. I want you to run the plates and see if anything came up. He paid $400 and called it disposable, so I'm sure he dumped it in the next town or so. But that will give me an idea how to find him." He hangs up.  
  
Melissa asks "what are you going to do?"

  
  
He says "Keep Scott _**away**_ from me because I'm liable to punch the kid. How the bloody fuck could he _**ever**_ think Stiles was capable of killing anyone in cold-blooded murder! I guarantee he never asked Stiles what happened! I'm going to find my son, sell the house, go to wherever he is and try and fix the relationship we obviously don't have, since I didn't notice my son was gone. Don't tell Scott. Stiles obviously doesn't want him to follow him, but I think he may have followed his normal patterns. I may be able to find him. Take care of yourself Melissa, and don't let them get you killed."  
  
She steps up to him, lays her hand on his arm and says "I'll help you find him. I think it's time I get out of here also. Want a girlfriend to go with you?"  
  
He looks at her in what appears to be hope as he asks "What about Scott?"  
  
"Stiles paid off the house a few years ago. Scott can have it. I think it's time he was on his own. He never listens to what Stiles or I tell him. It'll be safer for me if I leave."

He smiles and hugs her. "I think I'd like a girlfriend. I can't guarantee I'll have a stable income or career when I find him."  
  
Melissa says "as a nurse and a single mother; I haven't had a steady income in years. We'll be together, and we should've turned our relationship into something more years ago."  
  
On my computer, he goes to opendoor.com and puts in the house for an offer as Melissa leaves.  
  
He gets a call. "Tara? What do you have? ... Did you find the car? He sold it two towns to the west! Thanks. That's incredibly helpful." He hangs up and mutters "that means he's going east. He expects me to look for a jeep. He won't be driving one. He won't drive a car because his mom hated cars. He hated trucks. They're too big and loud. He's driving an SUV. He'd want to be over two hours away but less than six. Time to start making a few phone calls and calling in a few favors." He leaves my room, and I turn off the feed.

  
  
Peter says "he's a brilliant man. Would you want your dad to move here, near us?"  
  
I say "yeah, I would." I wistfully say "I miss him and I worry he's not taking care of himself."  
  
Peter says "let's watch TV together, before I go on my run and you do your work out when I'm not around to embarrass you."  
  
I stare at him in surprise. I say " _ **you**_ don't have to work out to resemble a Greek god, but I do, or I'd be a 300-pound couch potato. I'm not always running for my life anymore, so I need to work out a little."  
  
Peter laughs and says "even werewolves have to stay active and exercise to keep this body. We aren't just given this body because we're werewolves. My morning and evening run and my daily workout ensure I don't get overweight and become instant prey to another predator. It's not something to be ashamed of, little one. I'd like to work out with you sometime, if you'll let me?" He smiles fondly at me and leads the way to the living room.  
  
We cuddle on the couch and watch Season 1 of Leverage on Amazon Prime before he goes on his run. I admire how Eliot can kick ass without the ego. He's kind of cute, but I have my heart set on Peter. God, I hope he makes a move soon.  
  
I go down to the basement and take a dose of my potion, then go to the cave and check on my plants.  
  
At my Wolfsbane plant, I smell Peter's scent. A couple of petals are missing from one of my plants. Peter's planning ahead, but the petals are a different color on the full moon and can only be used if gathered then. I head back to the cabin.  
  
At home, I go upstairs and notice Peter's scent goes into the spare room. I look in, but stay at the door because I don't want my scent in there. I notice his scent is strongest next to the nightstand. I concentrate and use my telekinesis to feel a book hidden behind it.  
  
I use my ability to lift it and bring it to where I can see it. It's a book on Night Blooming Wolfsbane.

  
  
Now I'm curious, so I flip the pages to what he's reading and see a chapter on harvesting it and its uses. He now knows he needs the petals collected on the full moon when they are white and not gray.  
  
I flip it again, and it's a section on how much has to be ingested to prevent bite rejection. You have to consume enough to mimic the werewolf abilities for it to work 100%.  
  
I flip it again, and it's on the chapter for the elixir I use. It says it mimics the strength, speed and night vision. It says the human/witch using the potion can build up enough wolfsbane internally, so it won't take as much because there's always a small amount in their body. Over time the abilities may become permanent, or they may be able to use other werewolf abilities not easily mimicked, like sound and smell. It speculates if the skills strengthen over time then the chances of bite rejection drops, permanently. I did _**not**_ know that!  
  
I flip again, and there aren't any other chapters he was studying, so I put the book back where I found it and take my shower.  
  
I walk out of the shower naked to grab my clothes off the chair and see Peter in bed waiting for me. I ask "did you have a nice run?"    
  
He says nonchalantly "it was uneventful."  
  
I climb into bed and snuggle up to his chest. I let the constant sound of his heartbeat lull me to sleep.


	7. Deaton Confesses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the picture of Stiles boss is Betty Soskin, born in 1921, the oldest full-time park ranger.

**WEDNESDAY**   
**MAY 16th, 2012**

  
  
It's glorious waking up from a peaceful night's sleep in Peter's arms. I wake up first and feel him curled protectively around me. I watch him sleep for a little while before I feel his breathing change, letting me know he's awake.  
  
He opens his eyes and says "morning, little one."  
  
I smile and say "morning." As usual, we get up, use the bathroom, and he goes for his morning run while I make breakfast.  
  
Marco is a little early so comes in while I get my jacket from upstairs. He sees Peter casually dressed and says "wow! Are you sure he's not a model?"

  
  
Peter smirks and shakes his head. "I haven't even shaved yet."

I say "most models are either a little too mundane or narcissistic and either don't have a very high IQ or play dumb, so yeah, pretty sure he's _**not**_ a model."  
  
We go out patrolling, all day.

  
  
**Later that night**

My computer chimes an alert while we are watching Season 2 of Leverage.  
  
Peter pauses the movie while I check out the signal to see what triggered it. Dad is searching my room when Melissa walks in. She says "what did you find?"  
  
John looks up and says "I found him."  
  
I say "what? Already? How?"  
  
Melissa says "that's great. So what's the plan?"  
  
John says "he's a Ranger and must have taught himself how to use his magic. His mom died before she could show him, he's using a glamor to hide his face, but he's using his real first name and his mom's maiden name. His boss retires in 6 months. She's 95. God bless her."

"I have an offer for her to hire me, and train me to take her place when she retires. I have 48 hours to say yes or no. I want to talk it over with Stiles to see if he'll accept me back in his life. I'm leaving at 7 am. He lives in Yosemite National Park. The town he's in has a population of 165, approximately. Peter's with him. Can you handle being around Peter?"

  
I just look at Peter, open-mouthed, and say "damn! Glad he's not our enemy."

Peter smirks, one arm hugs me, and says "you had to get it from somewhere."  
  
Melissa wistfully says "Peter was rather charming when I dated him. When Stiles ran into us to keep Peter away from me, I figured out when he was staring at Stiles' lips that he was far more interested in him than me."

I say "I think she's reading things that aren't there on that one. You weren't staring at my lips. You were focusing on hearing where Scott was hiding." He doesn't look at me or dispute what she said. Was he looking at my lips?

 

She continues "Peter has never hurt Stiles or me, as a matter of fact, he's always looked out for him _ **and**_ protected him. I don't have any problems with him. Should I pack to come with you?"  
  
"Stay here and pack everything you want to bring with you when _**we**_ move out there. I don't want to overwhelm Stiles. Let me talk to him and smooth the way. I'm pretty sure he'll let me move near him. When I come back, I'll promote Parish to Sheriff until a new election can be run, resign and pack what little I want to take with me. I'll leave the rest with the house, and they can do what they want with it."  
  
Dad's still on the floor, on one knee where he was searching under the bed, and gets a severe air about him. I say "he's not? He is! Alright, dad!"  
  
He pulls a ring box from under the bed and says "will you marry me? I think we skipped the dating stage while we were raising our boys together. I do want to date you also."  
  
She has her hand to her mouth in surprise. "I'd be honored, Johnathan." She hugs and kisses him as he puts an engagement ring on her finger."  
  
She kisses his cheek and rushes out the door to pack.

 

  
  
**LATER**  
  
I get another alert chime. We stop the show, and I check what set it off.

It's at the vet office.

Deaton, Liam, and Scott are talking about the dread doctors.

Morrell walks in with her bottle of water. I say "something is off about that bottle. She's holding it too gingerly, like it's a snake about to strike. How many people hold their bottle of water _**away**_ from their body like that?"

Peter looks at me oddly. I say "what? My PTSD has me catalog everyone that walks into a room to see if they are a threat. Right now I see that she's a threat and the bottle is her weapon, somehow. I don't understand how, but she sees it as dangerous."

He smiles and says "I'm glad you are my ally and not my enemy. I'm starting to see how you kept up with me and stayed so far ahead of the Scooby Doo gang. Now that I think about it, Lydia does remind me of Daphne. The redhead that wore mini skirts, was self-entitled, bossy, and acted like a dumb valley girl even though she was almost as smart as Velma. I believe you would be Velma."

I look at him oddly and say "I think I'll take that as a compliment. Let me guess, Scott would be Shaggy, and Jackson was Freddy. Was Derek Scooby? I don't think Roscoe would like being compared to the Mystery Machine."

Peter laughs and says "as it was intended, little one." I smile at his pet name for me. "Scooby took great enjoyment from the antics of the gang and never directly confronted anyone or anything until there was no other choice and he always caught the bad guy, mistake or not. I think that sounds like me." I laugh at the picture in my head of Peter as Scooby.

 

Morrell stands next to Deaton and sets her bottle down on the table next to her. Deaton picks it up, opens it and takes a deep sip, drinking half of the bottle. Morrell turns away to hide her smirk.

 

That's odd. I look at Peter with an arched brow. He knows something's up. He's got an evil smile on his face. "What did you do?"  
  
He smiles and says "you'll see very soon. Amazing that you so quickly added me to that scenario. I love the way your mind works."

I say "you acted like you knew why she was acting like that with the bottle and was surprised I keyed in on it. I took a leap and figured you have something to do with it. I don't understand why Morrell would jump on your ship, against her family, but that's neither here nor there."

He says "I think this is about to be the big reveal." He laughs as we go back to watching the camera feed.

 

They're trying to figure out who the last chimera is. I get annoyed and say "I told him at the beginning of the whole mess, it's got to be Mason."  
  
Melissa stalks in, glaring angrily at Scott. She slaps him across the face.

 

I say "Holy shit! I had never seen her raise a hand to him, even when he deserved it. What did he do?"

Peter looks just as shocked as I do. "That was a long time coming. I hadn't counted on Melissa being there."

 

Scott just looks at her in shock as he rubs his cheek. "Mom, what the hell?"  
  
She angrily says "after what you did to Stiles, you deserve a lot worse than that. He was like your brother. Here's the deed to the house. Stiles paid it off a couple of years ago, not as if you would notice. I leave in less than two weeks. Don't try to find me. I'm going before you get me killed like you did Stiles."  
  
He yells _**"What?!**_ What _**are**_ you talking about?"  
  
Deaton grabs his stomach and groans in pain.

Morrell smiles and says "it's about time that poison worked." She holds up a vial and says "if you want the antidote, tell them everything you did to the Hales, Stiles, and Scott. From the Hale fire to telling Theo to kill Stiles and Scott and beyond."

Scott steps back in shock and says "what? What is going on? Wait! The Hale Fire? _**No!**_ That was Kate and Gerard!"  
  
Morrell says "Deaton's my grandfather not my brother and Gerard worked _**for**_ him _**no**_ t the other way around."

Deaton groans in pain and says "How could you poison me. Your grandfather?"

She says "you killed your son and my father. How long before you have me killed?"

Melissa holds a hand to her mouth in shock. 

Liam says "I told you Stiles wasn't a killer." He glares at Deaton. "Everything you and Theo told me about Scott and packs was a lie, wasn't it?"

Scott looks lost and betrayed. He must have realized how grave of a mistake he made. "Oh, my God? I fucked up!"

Deaton groans in pain and says "alright. I fed on the Nogitsune to stay young, ever since 1950. I promised it Stiles as a host, in exchange it was supposed to kill all of your friends and family so I could control you easier. I didn't count on Peter risking his life to save Stiles or Stiles letting Peter into their mind. You and Satomi couldn't get in, that wasn't supposed to happen. I didn't know he's in love with Peter."

I squirm as I see Peter stiffen from my peripheral vision.

Scott says "he's not gay. He's been after Lydia since we were eight. He can't love Peter."

Melissa says "since you were eight. He's over a year younger than you are and Lydia was his rival, not his love interest. He _**is**_ gay. I figured that out a long time ago."

Scott is making the fish face of shock.

Deaton says "Talia stopped listening to me, so I arranged Laura and Kate to meet and fall in love with a little magic potion I put in their Gatorade at a basketball game. They were on opposite teams. Getting them together when they drank it was rather difficult."

 

Peter and I look at each other. I say "they didn't know a potion was involved in falling for each other. Kate _**did**_ say it was love at first sight, though."

 

Deaton continues "on my suggestion; they killed the Hales so they could be together. I manipulated Jennifer into giving drugs to Peter to have his wolf take over. I got you and Stiles to watch _Stand by Me_. I hoped it would be him that was bit by an insane Peter, but he brought you with him and then covered for you, leaving you to get bitten by Peter."

 

I look at Peter as I ask "he wanted me to be the werewolf? Why?"

Peter says "you would have evolved into a true alpha long before Scott did."

I look at him in shock. "A true Alpha? Me?" He nods with a proud smile on his face. "How would he manipulate me as a werewolf?" I freeze as it dawns on me. "He would have used Scott and my dad to control me."

 

Deaton continues I pulled strings and got Chris assigned here so Allison could distract you from Stiles. I kept whispering in your ear that no human could have better instincts than a werewolf or a druid so don't listen to him. He's always wrong even when he's always right."

Melissa says "it was Stiles that always figured everything out and he always suspected you of being Mephistopheles. He said you were always lurking around and knew things you shouldn't and you were too vague to be helpful."

Liam says "Stiles said you were always using double speak and too formulaic to be helpful. Stiles said that when you did help you sabotaged it, as you did at _The Jungle_ by not providing enough mountain ash to encircle the club."

Melissa says "Stiles said Deaton was the only victim that was able to call and say he was being taken, surrounded by mountain ash and held in the bank vault that you knew about. Stiles says the entire thing was staged."

Deaton says "I staged it all. I was never taken by the darach. I tried to push Scott into becoming a true alpha, but he hesitated. If Stiles hadn't figured it out and sent the Sheriff, I could have died because I gave you too much credit."

Morrell says "I was the emissary for the alpha pack and I was talking with him on a constant basis. I warned him they were coming, but he didn't want to warn you or Stiles because he didn't want to worry you about the future you couldn't change. Let you enjoy the present while you could."

Deaton vomits black goo and continues "I knew where the Nemeton was all along and Stiles caught me on it. He figured out a lot more than that. That's why I told Theo to kill him. He turned Donovan into a Windigo and told him if he wants to hurt the Sheriff he needs to kill Stiles. The blood on the wrench was Stiles' blood. He accidentally stabbed the Windigo, then tried to help him, even though it sought to kill him and promised to kill his dad next.."

I say "I knew he was involved in that. Someone besides the Dread Doctors was pulling Theo's strings."

 

He continues "I had to have him out of the way because the Nogitsune didn't trust me and told him I was a threat to Scott and Peter. "  
  
Scott looks shocked, so Melissa plays a copy of the video from the library for Scott. He asks "is Stiles dead? Is that why we haven't seen him?"

  
Morrell speaks up and says "Stiles _**did**_ die several hours _**before**_ Allison did. He didn't have anything to do with her death, that was just a wedge Deaton devised to separate you from Stiles even further than Allison already did. Deaton wanted you dependent on him. Peter and Lydia brought me Stiles' body. Peter had to plead with his spirit to come back for his dad's sake. Being dead for that long meant he was feeble and dehydrated, so we brought him to your mom to treat."  
  
Deaton says "that's how they communicated. Anyone that's been dead for over an hour can still see and hear the dead. They used ghosts to talk to each other. I knew I should've locked him up with Peter."  
  
Morrell says "what he means is anyone that came back from the dead by magic can still see and hear the dead. They don't lose that ability when they return to the land of the living."  
  
Scott looks at Deaton in confusion. He says "in the supernatural prison? He didn't break any laws."  
  
Morrell says "it's not a prison. That's a place Deaton created to lock up supernaturals that are a threat to _**him**_ , personally, or don't obey him. Peter never broke any laws. He challenged you for the alpha power. He wanted to separate you from Stiles and Malia because he saw you as a threat to _**them**_. If he wanted to kill you, he could have easily done that at any time."

Deaton says I'm the one that brought the Dread Doctors here. We genetically modified the beast so that he obeys me. I put a toxin in the vat that holds the elixir they use for their immortality, and I give them small doses of antidote to keep them alive without curing the poison. Once the last chimera is taken over by the beast, I'll give them the full dose of poison and kill them forever."

Liam asks "so if something happens to you, they can't get their partial antidote and they'll die? I say we let Deaton die and all of our problems in Beacon Hills, except Theo, will disappear."

Scott says "we aren't killers, I'm not killing anyone."

Liam says "we wouldn't be killing him, we just wouldn't save him."

  
Scott looks like someone just killed his puppy. He tries to make a call, and Melissa says "it's too late. When you told him to get out, Stiles left town. His phone was on the bed with a note saying you called him a murderer, not to talk to your pack, and to get out. He left that video, so we'd know he isn't. Who told you he's a killer?"  
  
Scott says "Theo!"  
  
Liam says "The same Theo that Deaton ordered to kill Stiles and is supposed to kill you next? He told me I have to kill you if I want to be with Hayden because you won't allow me to be with her. You're like the other alphas, and only the alpha can have a mate."

  
Scott looks shocked. "That's what you were referring to when you asked him if what he told you about packs was a lie?"

Morrell says "it's not necessarily a lie. If a pack's territory is not stable and has threats, only the alpha and their mate are allowed to procreate, unless they get permission from the alpha. You have already shown your pack that your booty calls with first Allison and then Kira are more important than the rest of your pack. You actively encourage the others not to partner up. That shows you're the only one that can have a sexual partner in your pack."

Scott looks shocked and facepalms. "Stiles told me that in a roundabout way. I thought he was jealous of me. I figured it was a joke or something else he got off of Google."

Morrell says "Stiles never used Google. When he showed you stuff, was it from a book, or on the computer?"

Scott thinks about it. "When he told me what triggers the change he was reading from an old book."

Morrell says "Stiles was always right because he went to werewolves and witches to get the answers, and has old books he collected to find the answers. I pointed him to a few lone witches that could teach him how to use the powers he inherited from his mother. He's a natural witch. A powerful Earth Witch. I've been told he can grow any herb you want, without seeds, or fertilizer."

Deaton angrily says "you helped him get trained? I told you not to train him. He's too powerful. The good thing is if you're a witch your body rejects the bite. That means he can't be a wolf. He's not going to be as big of a threat to me as a witch as he would have been as a wolf that then learned how to use his magick."

Melissa says "Stiles is one of those people that as soon as you tell him he can't do something, he finds a way to do it, just to prove you wrong."

Deaton groans and doubles over in pain. He asks for the antidote. She drops it on the ground and stomps on it. "I can't watch you kill any more packs, grandfather. I want my freedom from you."

  
Braeden saunters in and points a gun at him "You're the one that called the desert wolf and told her how to find Malia. You're trying to kill off all of Scott's pack. Enjoy your stay in hell." She shoots him and turns around "I have to protect Malia for Stiles."  
  
Scott snidely says "his girlfriend?"  
  
Braeden slaps Scott and says "no. Stiles is gay. He took responsibility for her because your actions got her locked in Eichen House. He was tortured _**both**_ times he was in there by the same bastard. Brunski is torturing and killing patients. He didn't want that to happen to her. As usual, he was cleaning up _**your**_ mess because you just go on without giving a damn about the results of your actions. So fuck you!" She turns and walks out the back door.

  
Deaton's body turns into a pile of dust.

Liam says "that was so cool. I guess he's really dead now."

Melissa says "I hate to say it, but I'm glad he's dead."

Scott looks at Melissa and says "I screwed up. Nothing I did can be undone or corrected."  
  
Melissa says "maybe if you listen when people try to tell you things instead of ignoring them because they're not you, you might get somewhere. Stiles said at the very beginning who the other Chimera was. I was there. He said it was Mason. Stiles was never wrong. He was right about Matt, Gerard, Deucalion, Jennifer, Derek, and Peter. Check the trunk of Mason's car for the blood-soaked shoes. I'm leaving Beacon Hills while I'm still alive. Do you want me to pass on any messages?"  
  
Scott looks down before saying "tell Stiles I've always been a self-centered brat, he was right, and I was always too stuck up to think a human could know something I didn't. I hurt him so many times because I ignored him and belittled him. I never deserved his friendship, and I didn't realize how special it was until I destroyed it and everyone else pointed out what I should've known all along. He'd never kill someone. He'd make them wish he did. I never protected him. I knew Deucalion was going to kill him after the lunar eclipse and I did nothing. Tell him I hope he's happy because he deserves to have someone treat him like the treasure he is."  
  
Everyone leaves the vet's office.

 

I turn to Peter and say "wow. Deaton's dead. You're safe now. Scott's not going to try and find me. He's going after Theo and Mason. He might survive the fight."  
  
Peter says " _ **we**_ are safe. _**We** _ don't have to hide anymore. He's right. You are a treasure, I've always known it, and I will always protect you."

I blush and turn away in nervousness and shut down the laptop, and I curl into his side as we go back to watching TV. A few hours later we are locking up the house to go to bed when I turn around and see a woman standing there _**"Jesus!** _ Who are you?"

  
  
Peter is instantly between us.

She says "I'm Corrine, the desert wolf. Malia's mother. I need to say Peter's not her father. Peter couldn't have sex with me because I have the wrong equipment and he was too young. It was important to Deaton's and Talia's plan to weaken me by having a child, so Deaton had sex with me. Malia is Deaton's daughter. She's grown into a strong and beautiful woman. Let her know I'm proud of her."  
  
Peter says "we will. Thank you for telling me the truth. I appreciate it."  
  
She fades away, and the sudden indoor wind tells us she crossed over.

  
I hug Peter. "Deaton is her father. She's not going to like that." I sigh as I lean into him and ask "do you still want Malia in your pack even if she's not a blood relative?"  
  
Peter thinks and says "Our pack and yes. She's a worthy addition. Let's go to bed. It's late, you have work tomorrow, and it looks like your dad will be here tomorrow sometime."  
  
We head up to bed, and I snuggle against his chest.


	8. Dad Comes for a Visit

**THURSDAY**

**May 17th**

I wake up to Peter clutching me to his chest, nervously. I turn and place my hand on his neck to calm him as I look up at him and ask "what's the matter? Are you alright?"

He calms down a little and cards his long fingers through my hair before he says "I can't let him take you away from me. I don't want to lose you. I don't want you to leave me here, alone, and go back to Scott or Beacon Hills. Tell me I'm just insecure?"

I wrap my arms around his chest as I say "you're insecure. I'd never go back to Beacon Hills or Scott. I'm happy with my life here. I haven't been this happy in a long time. I hadn't slept through the night, in almost a year. You make me feel safe and protected. I won't leave you. I promise."

He wraps his arms around my waist and squeezes me as he buries his nose in my neck, breathing in my scent to calm his wolf. We lie here cuddling for about half an hour until the alarm goes off.

"Peter? If dad offers us the chance to be ourselves, would you want to go back to being Peter Hale?"

He thinks and says "yes. Life would be easier."

I say "I can add a spell to our medallions so that when we take them off, everyone that knows us like this will only remember our actual name and face. I can fix it, so the paperwork shows only Ranger Stilinski lives and works here."

Peter says "do it."

I add the spell to our medallions, we get up and start our day.

Peter strips down and presses his warm naked body against me in his usual morning tight embrace before he goes on his run. I love how his naked body feels against mine. I wish he'd kiss me already.

I have breakfast ready on the table when he comes back, and we eat mostly in a comfortable silence. As we finish the cleanup, I get a call from my boss. "Hello?"

"Wes? Something came up this morning, and I need you to drive into the office instead of Marco picking you up for patrol. He'll meet you here."

I raise my eyebrow in surprise. "Okay, boss" and we hang up.

Peter says "I bet that has something to do with your dad. I'll drive you in. Just in case he was followed, or it's a trick or something."

I say "okay, Peter." I can tell he's surprised I didn't argue with him. Before I go upstairs to get dressed, I get a sip of my coconut water I keep in the fridge. I know Peter won't touch it. He doesn't like coconut, and he doesn't know it has my **WPMP** in it. I don't want to be taken unawares by dad or enemies. Just in case.

 

 

We walk into the office, and I smell my dad somewhere close. He's trying to hide his scent with ammonia and bleach. As soon as we're halfway across the office, my father walks out of my boss's office.

Peter's instantly in front of me, doing a fantastic job of not growling and roaring at him. I smell his agitation and unease at my dad's presence and his attempt to hide his scent.

Dad holds up his hands and says "easy Peter. I'm not going to hurt him. I came here to talk to him. Calm down."

I grab Peter's upper arm, and he steps back into me and relaxes his stance. He's still wary but no longer a split second away from attacking anyone.

Peter says "you'll have to excuse me if I err on the side of caution. We do have someone out there that wants us dead."

Dad says "he's dead and Scott figured out they lied to him. He didn't think my son would leave. Stiles, I see you mastered glamours. Your mother was good at them as well."

I arch my eyebrow in surprise. "How do you know I'm using a glamour and how would mom know how to use them?"

Dad holds up his hand with the wedding ring. Your mother was a Witch, and she put a spell on my ring to see through any glamour. "Neither of you has to hide. You're safe. You can be yourselves."

Peter and I look at each other, and he nods to me. We remove our medallions and go back to being Wilkksiezycawyc Stilinski and Peter Hale.

Dad says "can we sit down and talk, in the office?"

I nod and take a seat. Peter stands next to me. Ranger Niksos tells Marco to patrol with his old partner today.

Dad says "you look good, son. You look better than you did last time I saw you. You gained the weight back, and you appear to be sleeping again."

I nod towards Peter and say "He makes sure I eat and he keeps my nightmares away. Are you taking care of yourself?"

Dad side-eyes me at the subject change and the attempt to talk about him and not me. He wearily says "I wish you'd told me half of the things I discovered lately. You protected me at the expense of yourself. I want you to let me try to defend you. Father's should protect their sons."

He takes a deep breath before continuing "It killed me to find out how abused and misused you've been, and I never had a clue. After your mom died, I buried my head in the sand and never looked back, _**until**_ I realized I lost you. I don't ever want to have that feeling again."

I say "if I didn't protect you, I don't think you'd still be alive. I didn't want you to die. I didn't mind living with your ghost as long as I knew you were still alive."

Dad says "I should be protecting _**you!**_ That's **_my_ ** job, and I failed it miserably. Can you ever forgive me? Can you let me try to rebuild the relationship we haven't had since before your mom got sick? I want to be your dad again. You should have had me there for you, not my ghost."

I nod and say "okay. I'd like that, as long as it's here. I can't go back. That's the thing, Dad. I'm not your job. I'm your son. I would hope you want to be my dad because of _**me** _ and not because it's your _**job**_ or obligation. "

Dad says "I _**do want**_ to be your _**father.**_ I know I _**need**_ to earn that privilege. I put in my two-week notice in Beacon Hills. I'm handing the reigns over to Parish. Your boss" He motions to Ranger Niksos is retiring in 6 months and offered me the job as her replacement. She'll train me, starting in two weeks, IF that's okay with you?"

I smile and bear hug him "that's fine with me. I'd like to have you around."

Dad says "Melissa will come with me. It's not safe in Beacon Hills for her."

I smile happily and fist bump as I say "Yes!"

Dad says "I have one more thing to discuss with you. Have you noticed how insanely protective Peter is of you?"

Peter sassily says "why does everyone always have to use that word as a descriptor about me? I'm not insane, anymore. I'm much healthier now."

I look at Peter with a soft smile as I say "I noticed, but we're pack. I'm the weakest member, so he gets a little overprotective." I hold up my fingers to show a tiny space.

Peter wraps me in a fierce hug, glares and says "you're not the weakest and you never were!"

Dad smiles and says "that's not overprotective, son. That's love. He's in love with you, and I can see that you're just as much in love with him as he is with you." My jaw drops in shock as I say "no ... he doesn't love me like that. He can't! Right, Peter?"

Peter says "yes I do! I'm deeply in love with you and have been for a long time."

I look at him and say "but you never said anything or made any move?"

Peter says "I'm planning on making a grand gesture on the full moon."

I say "why would you have to hold on until the full moon?" ... "Oh! But I have that on hand, why would you need to wait?"

Peter says "I want to make my own, so I can show you how much I want you, how much I'm willing to do for you so that we can be together."

I smile softly at him as I say "Okay. I can wait. I want to see what you have planned." I lean on his shoulder as I say "But we need to talk a little more in-depth about it later."

He smiles and says "agreed."

Dad tells Ranger Niksos he'll take the job. They do the hiring paperwork and set Monday, May 28th as his first day of work.

My dad will be my boss! Wonder how that will turn out?

I ask dad "how long are you staying?"

He says "a couple of days. I need to find a place to live and a car. Where can I find a good motel around here?"

I say "we have plenty of room. You're staying with us. The cabin behind ours foreclosed years ago. It could be perfect for you. The one behind that, I'm looking at for Malia, when she decides to come out. She wants to deal with her mom first."

Dad says "I'd like staying with you. If it won't be too awkward? Won't it be a _**little**_ strained to have Peter's daughter staying nearby? She's older than you are."

Peter says "she's Deaton's daughter. I grew close to her when I thought she was mine. Stiles took responsibility for her because Scott's actions caused her not to have any support and living with a human family that couldn't deal with the supernatural. I'm not sure she knows yet."

Dad's jaw drops in surprise. That wasn't something he expected to hear.

Ranger Niksos tells us to show dad around town and take the day off.

I suggest "let's go back to our cabin, drop off your car, and I'll show you the nearby cabin. We can go out to eat in town and get some groceries and supplies."

Dad agrees, but Peter says "not that I don't trust you Sheriff, but I'd feel better if Stiles is in the car with me on the way back to our place." He pulls me into a firm, protective, one-armed hug.

Dad smiles, holds his hands up in surrender, and says "okay."

 

We drive back home with dad following behind us. Once we start on the trip home, I say "Peter? Now that we're alone, we can talk. I researched mating. Werewolves only _**mate**_ with werewolves, so you want to turn me first. I don't understand why we can't be together before then. I've wanted you to kiss me for a _**long**_ time."

Peter thinks for a few minutes and replies with "I don't just want to fuck you. I want to make love to you and claim you as my mate. If we start kissing ... I don't think I can control myself because I want you so much. I don't want to hurt you. I love you, want to seduce you, and have you needing to be turned, mated and claimed. You're too strong of a temptation for me. Let me wait until the full moon, and I'll make our first kiss something you'll never forget!"

His heart never blips, and I smell sincerity. I lean my head against his shoulder as I say "I understand. I just wanted to know why you don't want to kiss me now?"

He pats my leg, inhales and says "you smell like vanilla and honey. I noticed it before, but the scent comes and goes? I don't understand?"

I chuckle and say "that's the smell of me on Nightblooming Wolfsbane. I noticed it about six months ago."

Peter looks at me curiously. "The potion? You wanted to make sure your dad didn't surprise us? If you noticed that scent months ago, then that means you can use the werewolf sense of smell. You more than likely can also see and hear as we do as well. Can you?"

He looks at me, waiting for an answer. I calmly say "yes. I can. I'm not supposed to be able to do that, so I don't volunteer that information."

Peter says "that means you've been taking it long enough to build it up in your body and your chances of rejection have dropped. It's still not 100%, and I'm not taking any chances with your life."

I look at him and ask "where did you hear that? That's not in any of my books."

He says "I have an ancient family book on magical herbs. The author believes Lykaon created it as a balance for the other wolfsbanes. He named it a type of Wolfsbane so Zeus wouldn't destroy it. It kills your resistance to an Alpha's bite. It's not Wolfsbane building up in your body. It's lycanthropy. That's why you have more of our abilities when you take the potion."

I look at him as I think it over. "Is this what I'd smell like as a werewolf?"

He says "that's possible. My wolf and I love your smell."

I smile and say "I like how you smell also. But back to us. Do I need to wait for everything from you, even a kiss? I've been dying for you to kiss me."

Peter smiles as he squeezes the back of my neck. "I've been dying to kiss you, but I won't be able to stop at a kiss. We can wait a couple of weeks, and then we can do anything and everything together. The wait will be worth it, little one. I can promise you that."

I smile at him as I say "I believe you. You don't make promises you can't keep."

At our house, I pick up dad's bag, and Peter takes it from me. Dad just laughs. I lead my father inside and say "we have several guests rooms, but I think you'll like the attic best. I have it set up for a long-term stay. It's the biggest guest room and has a full bathroom."

We show him all the guestrooms on the way to the attic. He loves the attic room, and I smile happily. He puts up his stuff and washes up a little before coming downstairs. We drive him to the cabin behind ours to let him see it. He thought right behind us meant 50 yards or so not a little over a mile.

Peter points out "we're secluded here. We supernaturals like our privacy."

Dad wants to see the inside, but it's locked. I use my telekinesis to open the door, with a little bit of balking from dad, and let him look around. He likes it. I lock it back up like a good citizen. It's a good place for him and Melissa to start their life together. My words, not his. He'll talk to the bank about it tomorrow.

Peter wants to look at the little house I'm thinking of for Malia. It's another mile behind this one. We look around, and I point out coyote tracks. There's a den about 75 yards from the back door. She'll love it.

We get back in my SUV, and Peter drives us into town to eat at Big Trees Lodge. He's wanted to take me there for a while now.

We all love the place. Dad wants to take Melissa on their first date.

 

Later that night, after supper my laptop chimes and I check the alert. It's an email from Malia.

She sold the house, and the move out date is next Friday. She wants to know if Peter will let her join our pack and move near us.

I say "Peter? This email is more for the head of our pack than me."

I hand him my laptop. I'm proud of myself for not giving away he's an Alpha, my Alpha. They email back and forth to each other for about 20 minutes while dad and I talk about being my boss.

Since I have my name back, I want to go to college nearby, to be a nurse.

Peter looks over at us and says "you realize it doesn't matter if you get a scholarship or not because I'll pay for it. Take whatever courses you want, wherever you want?"

I look at him and dad says "take it, Stiles. I'd offer to pay also, but don't know what my financial situation is going to be. I have to ask the bank what the pay off on the house is. You handled all my bills and finances for years, so I'm not sure how much I still owe, so it can be paid off with whatever offer I get."

I look down, shuffle my toe around and mutter "it's paid off. The payments you've been making go into a retirement fund for you, for the last few years."

Dad narrows his eyes at me suspiciously before asking "how did you do that?"

I say "I gave them your payment on the first and I made a payment on the 15th which paid it off three times faster."

Dad asks "where did you get enough money to make the $600 payments?"

I say "$675. Did you honestly think I was going to school at 5 am every morning? My first class didn't start until 11 or noon on late starts. I had a job stocking shelves, and I also sold a bunch of my paintings. I used my paintings to pay off Melissa's house."

Dad says "we thought you used the money Peter gave you for that."

I shake my head and say "The only things I used that on was the car I drove out of town in and my SUV."

Peter taps his chin as he says "what paintings, I wonder? You hung out at the hospital a lot. I noticed your scent there when I woke up from my coma. There was this beautiful painting of a wolf on a moonlit lake hanging in my room. I bought it from the director. It's in my storage unit. The painter's initials are WMS. Are you the artist that painted that? I've been trying to track him down since then, to commission a painting. All they'd tell me is he's underage and sells his paintings through the auction house or the hospital director commissions a particular theme for a wing of the hospital. The theme for my wing was that lake."

I blush and nervously say "yeah, that was one I painted for mom's room. You were in her old room. She had an affinity for wolves."

Peter happily smiles as he says "well isn't this a pleasant surprise? I wanted to get a duplicate of one of the paintings I saw a picture of at the auction house."

I shrug my shoulders and say "I have scrapbooks of my paintings in my upstairs library."

Peter just looks at me strangely while dad says "what library? I didn't see a library, and you gave me a tour of the cabin."

 

I look at them and smirk. I say "see if you can find it."

Peter says "I haven't seen a library besides these books. Can you please show us this library?"

I get up and walk over to the bookcase and open it to reveal a set of stairs that double as bookcases.

I motion for them to follow me and go upstairs to my library of old books I gathered from all of my research. Dad is in awe and Peter is surprised he never noticed this. I say "this is my library. I love books, especially old books. These albums on this shelf are my scrapbooks of all of my paintings. If I painted it, it's in one of these albums."

Peter starts looking through the photos.

Dad looks around at my books. He finds the first edition of Grims Fairy Tales, Wild Fang, and Doyle's The White Company. Dad says "I've read several of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books but I've never heard of The White Company, and it's a series?"

Peter about breaks his neck coming over to look at it. He says "now I see why you kept this room hidden. There were only 750 of these made. It sells for a minimum of 5,000 GBP or like $6,000 US dollars. This series is a medieval romance that's also an in-depth research on 14th-century English mercenary warfare in Spain and France. I'd _**love**_ to read this. I've only heard about it in rumors. I've never seen it. Can I read this?"

I smile at him as I say "of course. You can read any of my books. I know I don't have to tell you to be careful with them."

He says "I found the painting I've been trying to identify. I need you to tell me about this picture." He shows me a picture of the dream wolf.

I say "the dream wolf. When mom got sick, I started seeing this in my dreams. The more abusive and insulting she got, the more I saw it. The only time I didn't feel bad about myself was in my dreams when I saw this wolf. I got to where I didn't want to wake up. I remember taking some of my mom's sleeping pills so I wouldn't wake up. Scott found me and called Melissa."

I turn so I'm not directly looking at either one of them as I continue to talk about it. "It's hard for an eight-year-old kid to explain they weren't trying to kill themselves they just didn't want to wake up anymore. I suppose it sounds like I was. Maybe I was. I don't know."

I shake my head "They fucked me up in Eichen House with all the Haldol and Thorazine and everything else they made me take. That's when I started drawing and painting. Morrell got me my first sketchbook."

Peter says "this wolf, isn't a dream wolf. That's _**MY**_ wolf, Eclipse. About ten years ago I was dreaming about a young boy that needed my protection, but I couldn't understand what protection he needed. Morrell told me that was my future mate."

Dad and I are looking at Peter in shock. Dad says "so when Claudia became abusive towards Stiles, his subconscious reached out to his mate for help or stability and found you. You didn't know each other, so it was in your dreams?"

Peter says "I believe so. I always noticed Stiles scent calmed my wolf and it seemed familiar but different. I didn't connect the smell of those dreams to you until you dropped the shielding magic you used to hide your magic scent from the pack. That's when I realized who you are, we do have a chance, and I need to do something to attract you. That's when I started trying to figure out a grand gesture for you."

I say "so that's why you acted oddly when I dropped my scent scrubbers."

Peter says "it shocked me because I convinced myself those were just dreams and that young boy was just a fantasy my subconscious was torturing me with."

Dad says "I guess you both found each other."

Peter says "Stiles? By the way? How far out did you pay my rental unit in Beacon Hills?"

I shrug and say "two years. They probably think you're in jail because of it."

Peter says "I want to get my things. When Malia's ready to come out, I'll get her and my stuff. The refund should more than pay for the rental truck."

I hear dad's stomach growl. I say "that's my cue to make dinner. You guys look around while I cook."

I head down to the kitchen. I place an appetizer of Smoked Salmon Vichyssoise on the counter. Just in case it's too exotic for dad, I also set Squash Soup in baby Pumpkin Bowls next to it. 

 

I put a pitcher of strawberry basil lemonade and some chilled glasses next to it.

 

I set the Mini Chicken _(read Deer)_ Potpies on the counter as they walk into the kitchen.

Dad is eyeing the Vichyssoise suspiciously, so I smile at him and say "it's okay dad. I don't expect you to try it or like it. Stay with the safer, more mundane, squash soup in baby pumpkins."

I drink down one of the Vichyssoise as does Peter. He says "the Roe adds a little something extra to this. It's magnificent as always, little one. John, you may not like the Roe. It is more of an acquired taste. You could try one without the Roe or just stay with the squash."

Dad asks "what's Roe?"

I say "salmon eggs." I hold up one of the bowls "this is smoked salmon vichyssoise. Peter and I eat a lot of things that you're not going to like or even want to try. That's why I made the squash also."

Dad surprises us and tries a Smoked Salmon Vichyssoise with the Roe. He eats two of them and says "it _**is**_ unbelievable. I haven't had a good one since I met your mom in Poland."

I smile happily. "I just never had a clue what the little red thingies were. Your mother told me it was gelatin drops, but I could tell she was not truthful with me."

He drinks a glass of the lemonade and says "the basil makes it very refreshing. You are an excellent cook, son. What's those pastry things?"

I say "Mini Chicken Potpies, just a different meat than chicken."

He eats one and says "fantastic! Deer?"

Peter says "yes, I was out on an errand and got hungry with the long distance running, so I took down a deer, and what I didn't eat, I harvested for us to eat."

Dad asks "you ran all the way to Beacon Hills and talked to Morrell and Braeden and then ran back?"

Peter nods in surprise. "I see where Stiles gets his brilliant Sherlockian mind."

John laughs and says "I can understand why you were so hungry."

We talk as we eat and then they send me into the living room while they clean up since I cooked. There's a Michael J. Fox marathon. The three of us watch Back to the future. All of them and Teen Wolf. The sequel wasn't as funny.

Peter goes upstairs and comes back down a few minutes later in a robe. He hugs me and goes out for his run. I'm surprised Peter's modest. Maybe he figures his future father-in-law doesn't want to see how big his dick is. When he comes back in, we head to bed. Dad flips channels for a while before going to sleep himself.


	9. Peter and John Talk

  
**FRIDAY**  
 **May 18th**

John wakes up first and makes coffee. He wants to talk to Peter and doesn't want to wait.

He stealthily creeps into Stiles' room where he sees Peter curled around him protectively. He steps closer to the bed.  
  
Peter wakes with a start, pulls Stiles closer and shields him with his body as he raises his head with glowing red eyes and growls menacingly before recognizing John. His eyes and fangs shift back as John motions for him to follow him. He whispers "we need to talk."  
  
Peter tucks Stiles in as he climbs out of bed in his sweatpants and follows John down to the kitchen. Good thing they don't sleep naked!  
  
  
  
John pours them both coffee as he asks "how long have you been an alpha?"  
  
Peter sees no reason to lie to his future father-in-law. He shrugs and says "I never lost the Alpha power."  
  
John arches his eyebrow in surprise as he states "I take it Stiles knows."  
  
Peter arches his brow as if to say 'Duh!' "Of course. I didn't realize he knew until he asked me if I'd start a pack of my own. He realized immediately. I easily deceived the others, but not him."

  
John says "he's a very intuitive boy, sorry, _**man.**_ It's hard to believe my little boy is all grown up and in love with a man or werewolf that'll probably marry him. Stiles figures out everything but never says anything."

He takes a sip of his coffee as he remembers a few things. "After Gerard hurt my boy and I noticed the hurt look he gave Scott, I searched his computer and found everything he had on the Hale fire and Gerard. I understand why you would go insane and kill all of those people."

Peter says "It killed me when I saw how badly Gerard tortured him and no one noticed but you and Melissa. I think that hurt him more than being tortured. Scott didn't believe Gerard would do that. Later, Scott knew Deucalion planned to kill Stiles after he killed Jennifer but made no move to stop him. After her death, he merely told Deucalion to leave town, but didn't ensure he did. I stayed near Stiles to keep him safe in case Deucalion went after him."

John says "I can't verify any of that information. It's hard to believe that Scott was that trusting of someone that planned to kill all of us and take him. Even Superman had enough sense to arrest Lex Luthor and not just let him walk away free after what he did to everyone."

He takes a sip of his coffee as he thinks about the files on Stiles' cloud. "I wish to God that I had checked his cloud then. I'd have ensured the justice Harris deserved fell on his head and buried him."

Peter bites out with pure hatred and red eyes "if I had known what the arrogant, contemptible bastard did to him I'd have hunted him down and you would have seen a true animal attack. I would have slowly dismembered him while he was awake to feel it. I still haven't convinced Stiles he's innocent and did nothing to provoke that bastard."

John takes a sip of coffee and looks down at his crossed ankles in contemplation before stating "Peter? Take this however you want." He looks up at him and says "I love my son, and if you _**ever**_ hurt him, I _**will**_ shoot you full of wolfsbane. I won't even feel bad about it."  
  
Peter dryly says "duly noted. I love him, and I'll never hurt him. I never have." He looks into John's eyes intently as he says "I won't let anyone else hurt him either. That includes _**you!**_ "

John says "I'm his father. I don't intend to hurt him."

Peter says "You already have, once. He can't take it again.

John says "Stiles is a strong, self-confident young man and I don't want you hurting him."  
  
Peter angrily takes a step forward and says "not right now he's not! Scott broke him! The _**only**_ reason he didn't commit suicide is he remembers me pleading with him that his death _**would** _ kill you. He's always waiting for betrayal and abandonment. I won't let anyone else hurt him the way Scott did. Not even _**You!** _ Don't promise to rebuild a relationship with him and then change your mind. If you betray him, I won't be able to save him from himself. I can't lose him like that!"

John says "I fucked up and I want to make a fresh start with him here. I _**do**_ see how you are with him, and I _**know**_ you love him. I hope it's enough to focus on him and not power."

Peter snarls "I do _**not**_ need power or status. Stiles is all I will ever need or have needed since I regained my sanity. I wasn't after power. I was trying to protect him from Scott, himself and neglect."

John confusedly says in a halting voice "he doesn't seem like that at all! He seems confident, happy and stable."  
  
Peter says "after dealing with Scott always sniffing after Allison, and being expected to hide how much they hurt him, he's good at hiding it. I smell how he feels, and I pay attention to how he's feeling. I'm working to protect him and stabilize him. He doesn't like people seeing his weaknesses."  
  
John says "Allison?" When Peter nods, he shakes his head in disbelief. "Scott's been dumping on him that long?"  
  
Peter says "Yes. He ignored Stiles for Allison, consistently. Did Stiles tell you about the pool incident?" When John shakes his head, he sighs in frustration.  
  
He takes a calming breath and calmly says "Allison gives Stiles Gerard's keys, so he can break into Gerard's office to find the Argent bestiary that Deaton suggests he steal. Scott then goes to the Argent house with Allison, leaving Stiles in Gerard's office, _**alone!**_ "

He feels himself getting angry at Scott all over again and takes a deep breath and sips his coffee to steady his control. "Scott didn't check to see if Stiles got out, found the bestiary, or even if he was okay. I mean he just broke into the master hunter's office, someone should have made sure he was okay."

John says "anyone with common sense would have checked on their partner, not to mention their best friend."

Peter says "exactly. Stiles wasn't very high on his priorities list, and he knew it. Several hours later, no one's seen or heard from Stiles. I look for him in the last place anyone saw him, the school. I check Gerard's monitors in the school to find him."  
  
He takes another calming breath as he thinks about Stiles nearly died because of Scott. "He's holding up a paralyzed Derek, who weighs over 60 lbs more than he does, in the pool that's seven feet deep, for over 2 & 1/2 hours. Did I mention that Stiles was still in full Lacrosse gear with a sweatsuit over it?"

John looks at him, surprised as he realizes that's one of the games he went to see Stiles play and he was MIA. "I get the idea. I don't think most humans could or would do that for anyone."

Peter shakes his head. "No, they wouldn't. Stiles is special. He drops Derek to call Scott. When he gets Scott on the phone, Scott says 'I'm busy' and hangs up on him. Stiles throws his phone to the bottom of the pool in anger and dives down to save Derek, further tiring himself out."

  
Peter continues "I was furious. By the time I get there, his strength gives out, and they're going underwater. Scott gets there first. He didn't notice me at the door."  
  
"Allison had figured out the bestiary is on a flash drive _**on**_ Gerard's keys, that Stiles _**has**_. Scott came for the keys. The only reason he finds Stiles, is he hears the Kanima roaring at Stiles in frustration. Derek and I smell Allison all over him. I mean _**all**_ over him, as if they rolled around together. The bastard didn't even ask Stiles if he was okay _**or**_ help him home. That's just one example of where Scott's _**need**_ to get in her pants nearly got Stiles killed, and he didn't even notice." Peter is suppressing a growl but calming down.  
  
John says "I had no idea this has been ongoing for that long? I thought it was a new thing, because of Deaton."  
  
Peter scoffs and says "Deaton encouraged it. I was there when Allison asked Stiles if Scott treated him the same way while dating her as he was when dating Kira. Stiles said worse, because that was his first sexual experiences, and he was suddenly getting sex on a semi-regular basis from Allison."

  
  
John shakes his head in wonder. "I don't know what happened to Scott. He used to be good for Stiles."  
  
Peter says "he used Stiles to fill the gap until he found someone else. He just didn't want to be alone, and Stiles was better than nothing."

 

 

  
  
Stiles wakes with a start from a nightmare and realizes he's in bed alone. He calls _**"Peter!"**_ in a panicked voice as he feels the bed and sees it's cold.  
  
Peter hears Stiles call him in panic, says "Stiles!" and runs at top speed and blurrs to him.

John didn't even see him move. One minute he's there and the next, he's gone. John heads upstairs to see what's happened.  
  
He finds Peter wrapped protectively around a nervous Stiles, that's clutching him tightly and apologizing for being afraid.  
  
  
  
**Back to Stiles POV**

 

I see dad walk in and sheepishly say "I'm sorry I interrupted your conversation. I didn't mean it. I woke up from a nightmare, alone. I shouldn't have panicked. I'm sorry! I know Peter won't leave me alone without a good reason."  
  
Peter arches his eyebrow at dad as if to say "see what I mean."  
  
Now John sees the scared and insecure man Peter described. He hates seeing his son like this, waiting to be abandoned. "It's okay, son. I should've waited to talk to Peter later. I have all day, after you go to work. I wasn't thinking. I mean, I startled him awake while he was protecting you."  
  
I quickly realize Peter would've flashed his eyes and growled. I drop my shoulders and nervously ask "so you know about Peter?"  
  
John moves a piece of my hair back from my forehead and says "yeah, he's an Alpha. I also see he's going to protect you and treat you the way you deserve."  
  
I snuggle closer to Peter and sigh contentedly before looking up at him, smiling fondly, getting up and saying "let's get some coffee."  
  
Dad sees all my scars and says "I didn't realize you had those scars. Are all of them from Gerard?"  
  
I shake my head and point to my forearm and say "Kate, trying to prove werewolves are monsters." I point to my back, chest, wrist, and triceps and say "Gerard." I indicate my shoulder and side and say "Brunski and Cross. Some are from my first time in Eichen House, and some are from my last stint there." I point to the back of my shoulder where there's a star-shaped scar and say "that's where Donovan the Windigo bit me."  
  
Dad says "I see I need to do a better job looking out for you. I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me. You've always looked out for me, and I didn't look out for you. I'll do better."

I say "It's okay dad. You didn't know."

Dad says "I'm going to the local branch of our bank today, and see about getting that cabin. Once I work my two-week notice in Beacon Hills I'll be here for you and so will Melissa."  
  
I hug dad and say "it's okay dad, aside from the nightmares, it doesn't bother me anymore. Peter makes me feel safe and protected enough to keep away my PTSD nightmares, or he stops them before they get worse."  
  
John says "that's why he sleeps in your bed? He keeps away the nightmares? That's why you look like you're finally getting proper sleep? Because Peter makes it possible for you to sleep through the night?"  
  
I say "yeah dad. I feel safe when he's with me. When he sees a nightmare starting, he cuddles me or soothes me, and he keeps them away."

 

  
  
We get coffee, and Peter hugs me before going on his run. I cook breakfast while dad asks me questions about Peter running patrols in _**our**_ territory, how far _**our**_ land extends, how pack hierarchy works and such. As usual, Peter walks in from his run as I'm setting the table, plus a robe. He hugs me, nuzzles my neck, and swipes a piece of bacon from my pan as I lean into his chest.  
  
I'm glad Peter's getting naked outside and not where dad can see him.  
  
I dress for work as they talk. When Marco arrives to pick me up, I run upstairs to get my jacket. I hear Dad ask him where I like to eat since I didn't eat breakfast this morning.

Marco tells him "Stiles loves _'The 5 and Dime'_ but refuses to go near it on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday."  
  
Peter curiously says "that's odd. If he loves it, why would he avoid it on _**those**_ days?"  
  
Dad says "it sounds like he's avoiding a problematic person."  
  
Peter says conspiratorially "what do you say we see _**who**_ he's avoiding?"  
  
I don't hear an answer as I walk in with my jacket and leave with Marco.  
  
  
  
At the office, we have a group meeting and are informed about a pack of poachers of at least three or four hunters, and they're heading south, towards my area. They seem to hunt after dark and are heavily armed. They killed a ranger just inside of the Oregon border. They're illegally hunting bear and deer.  
  
  
  
At lunchtime, dad texts me to meet him at the bank. He's not sure about the account information or anything. Marco drives me to the bank, and I suggest he eat lunch while I take care of some business with dad. I'm not hungry so don't plan on eating lunch.  
  
Dad asks "Where's Marco?" 

I reply "I told him to eat lunch while I take care of some business. I'm not really hungry anyways."  
  
I see Peter and dad exchange looks before dad says " _ **all**_ you ate this morning was _ **a**_ slice of bacon and _**half**_ a slice of toast. You need to eat lunch."  
  
I say "I always lose my appetite when I have nightmares. I'll eat more at supper. I just don't have an appetite right now. Let's get this done." I see the teller acting like he's too busy to help us. I guess we don't look wealthy enough to concern him.

I smirk at Peter before approaching the teller. "Excuse me, I see you're obviously _**too**_ busy doing nothing to help us. I'd like to see _**your**_ manager. _**Now!**_ Please."

He smirks and walks off to get the manager.

A few minutes later the manager comes up and says " _ **is**_ there a problem?"  
  
  
  
I look at the teller and say "yes! There is." I wave around at an empty bank and say "there's no one here, and _**your**_ clerk left _**my**_ dad waiting half an hour. I have a job to get back to, and we need a bank interested in their customers, no matter how much money they have. Therefore my dad, and I want to withdraw all of our money from these accounts." I hand him our account information. "As soon as possible. If you don't mind?"  
  
The teller snorts and mutters in a snide tone "the loss of a country bumpkin's money is not going to  hurt our bank any."

The manager brings up our accounts and chokes on air. The teller looks over his shoulder and goes white as he whistles softly.  
  
Peter smirks at John and says "the three of us probably have more money than the entire town does."  
  
The manager falls over himself apologizing, tells the clerk he'll be suspended for a week for his actions and is buttery smooth as he _**personally**_ handles dad's request to see how much is in his account and helps him apply for the house.  
  
The manager is surprised dad doesn't know how much is in his account until he clasps his hand on my shoulder and says "my son here has handled my finances for the last few years."  
  
The manager says "with monthly deposits averaging $1,275 and interest; you have approximately $150,000 in your account, and your son has over eight million in his."  
  
Dad chokes on air and says "holy shit! So there shouldn't be any problem with my application for the cabin behind my son's."  
  
The manager sweetly smiles as he says "no problem whatsoever! You can buy the house outright and not have any problems."  
  
I say "that cabin has belonged to the bank for nearly a decade. Before my dad signs anything, I'd like an inspection of the property to see if it needs any repairs, and make sure the heat and air work. My dad plans on getting married, and his future wife wants a roof that doesn't leak, electricity, running water, heat, and air."  
  
The manager says "of course sir. I'll arrange it myself, ensure any repairs are taken care of, _**and**_ everything is up to code and functioning properly. I'll draw up the papers and send over the inspectors."  
  
The manager asks me to continue banking with his bank, so I say "if you can keep my dad _**and**_ my boyfriend happy, I'll stay. Speaking of which, I believe Peter needs to get a new bank card and maybe some checks for emergencies."  
  
Peter steps forward and says "as a matter of fact I do." He hands the manager his account information, and again, the guy chokes on air.  
  
The teller says to himself "the kid's obviously not a gold digger since he's a millionaire on his own, wonder about going for a kid, though. Maybe the kid gives good head."  
  
Peter growls, and I say "comments like that are _**not**_ keeping us happy. I suggest _**that**_ teller find a job that doesn't require customer service. That's sexual harassment and defamation of character. I can sue him for that."  
  
Dad peeks at the balance and whistles softly.  
  
The manager turns to the teller and says "I suggest you start your suspension right now and do _**not**_ have any interactions with the Stilinski's or Mr. Hale."  
  
Peter mutters "money is _**not**_ the only reason someone finds another person of value or interest." He wraps his arms around my waist and glares at the teller.  
  
The teller gulps and says "I'll go eat lunch at The Steak House and start the suspension tomorrow." He grabs his hat and quickly walks out of the bank.

 

  
After we finish all our banking business, dad says that he's taking me to lunch and calls my boss. Dad tells her he's bringing me to eat and Marco can pick me up in an hour or so at _The Five and Dime Diner_.  
  
Crap! It's Friday and Hiram will be working there today. I never go there when Hyde's there. I hang my head in defeat and annoyance.  
  
I try to bow out, but with one on each side of me, there is _**no**_ getting out of it. At the restaurant, Lucy sees us come in and says "Wes? You don't come here when _**he's**_ working. What's up?"  
  
I point to my dad and Peter as I say "this is my dad and my boyfriend." They wave politely, and I add "they insist on eating _**here!** **TODAY!**_ Please _**ensure**_ I'm in Roxy's zone?"  
  
"No problem Wes, that won't help, but no problem." She escorts us to a booth, and it takes less than a minute for _**him**_ to see I'm here.  
  
He immediately comes over and says "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven and landed at this table? Can I get you something to drink?"  
  
I say "Nah. It sucked crawling my way out of hell, though. Yet again, I'm telling you, _**I'm not interested!**_ " I point to Peter "this is my _**boyfriend**_ and my dad. I'll wait for our waitress."  
  
Dad leans back, crosses his arms and says with a frown "I think I see the problem." Dad reads his name tag and asks "Your name is Hiram? Is this your zone?"

  
  
He snidely answers "yes. My name is Hiram, but for some unknown reason, Wes always calls me Hyde. It's actually Roxy's zone."  
  
Peter coldly says "I can see the reference" as he drapes his arm around my neck. "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Hyde was the arrogant monster while Jekyll was the sweet doctor that everyone loved.  
  
Hyde says "Wes? I have an extra ticket to the theater. Want to go with me?"  
  
I glare at him in shock. " _ **No!**_ That's two! Did you not hear me introduce my boyfriend?"  
  
Dad says "You really should take _**no**_ for an answer. Go to _**your**_ area and _**leave**_ my son alone. I won't be so nice a second time."  
  
Hyde says "boyfriends don't mean anything to me. I'm obviously the better choice. I'm awesome! Not like anyone could ever compare to this." He looks at me and says "you'll say yes, eventually. How about horseback riding?"  
  
I say "I'd die first. That makes three. _**No!"** _ I yell _**"Roxanna!"**_ The kitchen door slams open and Hyde steps back as a fierce, black crossdresser walks up, grabs his ear and drags him away as she chews him out for bothering me.  
  
  
  
I lean into Peter's shoulder and look up at dad. "That's the reason I don't eat here on Thursday, Friday or Saturday. I don't eat or drink anything he brings me because I'm kind of afraid he drugged it. He's a pushy, obnoxious bastard that's narcissistic as hell."  
  
Peter wraps his arm around my waist, pulls me closer to him, and nuzzles my neck. He smirks and says "crawled your way out of hell, huh? No wonder you're so hot!"  
  
I smile at him and ask "how can you say that and it not sound lame? You always did have better pickup lines than anyone else I've heard."  
  
Dad says "I, personally, think you're biased." He pulls out his phone and makes a call. "Sheriff Ross? I'm eating at _The Five and Dime_ , and I was wondering if you could do me a professional courtesy?"  
  
 He says "Sure Sheriff Stilinski. What do you need?"

  
"You will? Thanks. One of the waiters here is acting like a dangerously, hardcore stalker. Could you see if he has any outstanding warrants?"  
  
Ross asks "What's his name?"  
  
Dad says "His name is Hiram."

I add  "Turner."

Dad says "Hiram Turner."  
  
Ross says "Let me see ... there's no Hiram Turner, but there's a Turner Hiram. He's violated three different restraining orders for stalking. All three young men that filed the restraining orders disappeared without a trace and are believed dead. He stalked six young gay men. All 18-22 with brown hair and eyes. He used Rohypnol on them. He was able to slip it to them in his job as a waiter or bartender. He violated probation for delinquency of a minor and drugging people in possible date rape."  
  
Peter squeezes me and says "good thing you follow your instincts and don't accept anything from him."  
  
Ross continues "Wait. He has an APB on him because he killed a Deputy in Utah when they attempted to arrest him for a warrant violation and parole violations. Keep an eye on him. I'm on my way with a few deputies to take him in, run him through the system, and see if it's the same guy. If it is, Utah will want him for the officer's death."  
  
Dad says "will do. He's after my son, who fits his pattern. He doesn't know my official title." He hangs up as the waitress approaches the table.

  
Roxy takes our order, and I introduce her to dad and Peter. She asks "is this the same Peter you mentioned that helped you after you got stuck in a pool for several hours?"  
  
I nod, and she looks at Peter, smiles knowingly. She says "it was very thoughtful of you to check on him, help him out of the car, carry him bridal style upstairs and then massage his legs and back to loosen up the muscles enough so he could walk into the shower and get warm." She pats his hand and says "I'm glad you finally told Wes how you feel."  
  
She refills his coffee and says "he's asked me how to get your attention but was afraid you wouldn't be interested in a teenager. I told him a friend would've let him lean on them to go up the stairs, someone who cares might carry him up the stairs, but someone that loves him would carry him upstairs and massage his sore muscles. I just don't understand how he got trapped in a pool for several hours. Most people can climb out again."  
  
Peter says "my nephew was paralyzed and fell into the pool. Wes dived in and held him above water until someone could help get my nephew out of the pool. By the time we realized something was wrong, and they were missing, his strength gave out, and they were going underwater. That scared me into realizing how much I love him and I don't want to lose him."  
  
Dad looks at Peter with a raised brow as I blush crimson. She says "Wes! You didn't tell me you were a hero and saved someone's life!"  
  
I blush and say "I'm no hero."  
  
Dad says "He's modest. I can't tell you how many times he's saved someone's life, including mine."  
  
We order, and I try to get off with a small salad, but Peter asks her what I usually order and then orders my regular meatloaf with creamy homemade mashed potatoes and broccoli.  
  
I eat half my plate, and that's all I can handle. I get up to visit the head and say "I'm going to the restroom. Be back in a minute. I'm halfway there when Hyde gets between me and the bathroom, holding a slice of chocolate cake. I stop dead in my tracks. I don't want Mr. Scuzzy cornering me in the bathroom.  
  
He walks up to me and says "I have a sweet treat for a sweet guy."

  
I say "thanks. That's sweet of you, but I don't eat chocolate. It gives me the jitters."  
  
I move to pass Hyde, but he grabs my wrist in a vice-like grip and says "I insist."  
  
Dad and Peter see everything, so they come over, and dad takes the cake from him. Peter growls, grabs Hyde's wrist that's holding mine and squeezes as he twists it to remove it from me. The bastard bruised me.  
  
That's when Sheriff Ross and his deputies walk in and surround us. It's rather apparent their hands are near their weapons.  
  
As they handcuff him, Peter says "I believe this cake is spiked. Would you test it?"  
  
Sheriff Ross looks at me rubbing my arm. "Are you okay?"  
  
I say "just a few bruises. Hyde has a vice-like grip."  
  
He makes a face at me calling him Hyde and says "I need to take pictures of those for the case."

  
  
I pale and say "I would rather not."  
  
Dad rests his hand on my shoulder and says "it's okay. We're right here. I'm sure you can trust the Sheriff."  
  
I sigh, unbutton and roll up my sleeve. Roxy takes in a sharp breath when she sees my scars.

When the Sheriff sees the scars on my wrists and forearms, he says "now I understand why your dad and boyfriend are so protective of you."  
  
Peter coldly says "the serial killer that did that to him got what he deserved."  
  
He takes pictures of my arm but angles the camera to hide my old scars and only show the bruises. They bring the cake with them.  
  
Roxy asks "what's going on? Why are they arresting Hiram?"  
  
Dad says "My son said he never takes anything Hiram gives him because his instincts tell him it's not safe. I saw how pushy he was as Wes or Stiles twice said Peter's his boyfriend. My son's _**never**_ wrong, and those are the actions of a stalker. That aggressively pushy usually means he's escalated to possibly rape and abductions. I asked the sheriff to check for warrants on the guy."  
  
Dad takes a sip of water and continues "he's stalked and drugged several teenagers similar in appearance to my son, and he's the key suspect in the disappearance of three of those young men. He killed a Deputy that attempted to arrest him for parole violations, so they arrested him on suspicion of murder. They'll double check if it's the same guy."  
  
Roxy looks shocked. "I knew he was hung up on Wes, but we never thought he was dangerous."  
  
As we're paying, dad gets a call from the sheriff. It's the same guy, and there _**was**_ Rohypnol in the cake. It's a small dose, probably to make sure I didn't have an adverse reaction to it and see if anyone noticed.

I wonder why drug me when I have people with me? Did he think he'd never get caught or suspected? Does he have that much of a God complex?  
  
I go back to work, and Peter takes dad home.  


 

  
  
Peter's driving home as he asks nonchalantly "so when Stiles is old enough, and I marry him, can I call you dad?"  
  
John says "I would rather _**not**_ have a man my age call me dad."  
  
Peter glares at him. "I'm only eight years older than he is. Derek is only six years older. You thought I was nearly two decades older than Stiles?! He's 17, and I'm 25."  
  
John does a double take. "But Malia is almost 19?"  
  
Peter says "no, she's 17. She's a couple of months older than Stiles. Yes, I would have been seven when my sister wanted me to have sex with Corrine, but I wasn't interested in females."  
  
John says "she must have been one power-mad psycho. You can call me dad. I was hoping to have grandkids someday, but as long as he's happy."  
  
Peter nonchalantly says "you can still have grandkids."  
  
John smirks and says "two males don't have babies unless they adopt."  
  
Peter says "two _**human**_ males can't _**but**_ an Alpha werewolf and _**his**_ mate _**can**_. Well, at least they can If they mate on the full moon. We don't want to take the chance of me impregnating him before he turns 21, so we agreed not to have sex when the moon is full. I'm being overly safe and including the day before and after. I'll make my grand gesture two days _**before**_ the full moon, _**just**_ to be safe."  
  
John is sitting open-mouthed. "Male werewolves can get pregnant?"  
  
Peter says " _ **only**_ ones mated to an Alpha werewolf. In case you forgot, I'm an Alpha. We change physically on the full moon, and it is a possibility."  
  
John says "I'm glad to see you are considering my son's life plans and safety as you plan for the future. And you _**are**_ making plans for the future."  
  
Peter says "he comes first with me. We also discussed pets. I can _**try**_ to share him with our children, but I won't be able to share him with a pet. I'm too possessive." John laughs at that.

  
  
**later that night**  
 **Back to Stiles POV**

  
I bring home some veggies so I can make stir-fry.  
  
After dinner, I notice dad is not as stiff as I remember, so I comment on it.

Dad says "Peter brought me to the hot springs just inside the cave on your property. Between those tree roots and your glamour, no one but us will ever know it's there. It's done wonders for my back."  
  
I smile at him and breathe a sigh of relief that they stayed at the front of the cave and didn't go back to my little flower garden.  
  
As we're cleaning up dad says "I understand that the two of you _**can**_ have children. I'm not quite sure what to think of that, but I'll be a proud grandpa, as long as you don't put off your hopes and dreams of having a career to have a family."  
  
I say "we agreed not until after I turn 21 _**and**_ have finished college. Peter thinks I'll finish college by then. I want to start college this fall. I plan on enrolling in May."  
  
Dad says "I'm glad you have a good head on your shoulders."  
  
Peter gets a phone call, and I look at him blankly. Who besides me has his number to call him? He answers the phone.

 

  
"Hello?" He gets a shocked look on his face as he says "Derek? What a surprise. I take it you got the diaries?" He goes upstairs to have privacy.  
  
Dad looks at me in confusion, and I say "after Chris killed were-cougar Kate in Mexico, her ghost showed up. She showed me where Laura's present-day diary was as well as both of their diaries from before the fire. They were lovers and planned the fire together. Laura set up Derek as the fall guy. That's the entire reason Deaton introduced them to each other. Wouldn't be surprised if a love spell was involved."  
  
Dad says "oh my god! Laura and Kate, together? Peter sent the diaries to Derek, so he knows he's the victim and not the cause?"  
  
I nod and say "I wrote a letter explaining he's the victim and needs to read them so he can forgive himself. He's not at fault, and there's the proof."  
  
Dad says "I'm glad you thought of Derek and tried to help him like that."  
  
I say "that was Peter's idea. I only suggested package tracking and a signature ensuring he got them."  
  
Peter comes back downstairs with a smile on his face. He hugs me and says "Derek says he wants to rebuild our relationship, long-distance. We'll be keeping in contact by phone. I said I found my mate but didn't tell him it's you. I want to wait until after I claim you, if you don't mind."  
  
I'm happy that he's happy, smile at him and say "that's fine with me. I'm sure you don't want anyone to attempt sabotaging or hurting us."  
  
I hug dad goodnight and head to bed, Peter says good night and follows me to bed.


	10. Poachers

Saturday  
May 19th

  
  
Peter strips down in our room and puts a robe on so he can run our land.

I make breakfast as dad checks the house listing in Beacon Hills with opendoor.com.

He does a little cheer and an air-fist. "It sold, and the move out date is May 29th, to give me a little extra time to pack up. My first day at work with Ranger Niksos is May 28th. I would appreciate it if the three of us can go back Monday so you can do the last walk through and ensure you got everything valuable to you out of the house."

I reply "I can't think of anything that might still be there, but it can't hurt to look. Wait. My sketchbooks. That's the only thing I want to get back. I forgot about them when I left."

Dad says "good. It's settled then."

I suspect it's dad and Melissa's ploy for Scott to apologize, so I don't leave on such a negative note. It _**would**_ give Scott and me a little closure. I'm not going to disappoint dad.

 

  
**AT WORK**

We Rangers are briefed to be extra careful and watch for anyone that looks like they could be involved with the poachers. They found a bear trap three miles north of my cabin.  
  
At about 2 pm I feel two people walk into our land from the northwest quadrant. I call Peter and notify him.

 

Peter calls back about an hour later and says "we found a couple of hikers. They stated they got lost somehow and didn't know they were on private property. John and I escorted them off of our land."  
  
They don't feel like hikers. "Something's wrong with this. They don't feel like hikers. Something is off about them." I think a minute. "Did they have water bottles or a map? Were they wearing hiking boots or combat boots?"  
  
Dad thinks about it and says "now that you mention it ..." He ponders a minute before continuing "They had _**no**_ water bottles or maps, _**and**_ they _**were**_ wearing combat boots."

I hear Peter growl in the background. I'm trying to think things through as I say "that sounds like they could be scouts for our poachers. Go back to where you found them. See what kind of animal tracks are in that area."  
  
An hour later Peter says "we went back and the only tracks are mine, in alpha form."  
  
I sigh in frustration. I ask "can those tracks be mistaken for bear tracks? By poachers?"  
  
Peter thinks and then coldly says "yeah, they can."  
  
I nervously say "dad, make sure you have your gun loaded and on you at all times, and keep an eye open for anything odd in that direction, outside of our territory. I think they're watching somewhere so they can come back after dark to set traps and snares."  
  
Peter angrily growls, and dad says "will do."

I can tell Peter is feeling possessive and protective and he's going to hurt someone if they attack us.  
  
Other than that, the day was rather uneventful. Just in case, I tell my boss about a possible sighting of scouts for the poachers. She'll keep an ear out for my call and let the cops know about the potential threat so they can increase patrols in that area.

Peter and Dad made dinner, and it's ready when I get home.

  
 _ **LATER**_  
I'm washing dishes, and just as I put a plate down, I feel someone pass through my geas. I freeze, let my eyes bleed white, focus on the geas and look at what or who's trespassing.

  
  
Peter is instantly at my elbow, eyes red, looking for danger. I'm aware of dad going for his gun as I lock in on the poachers. There's more than the three or four believed to be in the group. My eyes go back to normal as I state "we have a major problem."  
  
Dad asks "the poachers?"  
  
I say "my boss told me the cops thought there was three or four of them. They just crossed my geas, and there's eight of them. All of them have rifles, pistols, and knives. They're wearing camouflage to hide from view."

Peter says "we can't let them poach on our land. What if an innocent step in one of their traps and gets hurt?"

Dad says "I'll call the local sheriff to send a couple of paddy wagons and the three of us can stop them."  
  
I get my werewolf potion, drink a dose, and explain how it works to dad.

He takes some as a just in case. I grab my jacket, so we look official and call my boss and give her a heads up.

Then we sneak up to about 50 yards from the poachers and observe what they are doing.  
  
Dad asks Peter "so this is how werewolves see at night. It's amazing!"  
   
Peter says "yeah, that elixir also gives you our speed, dexterity and a portion of our strength. I've seen Stiles jump a 50' chasm." 

Dad smells confused but looks surprised. He looks at the poachers, points to a couple of them with his head and says "those two. The ones setting the snare, they're 'the hikers' we kicked off your land earlier today."  
  
We see them setting a bear trap and a few snares. Dad and I both have our guns ready. Peter strips and dad balks at either he's naked OR how well built he is OR how long he is. Not sure which. Peter shifts to his alpha form, and now dad understands why Scott was so frightened of him.

  
  
The three of us move to surround them. Once we're on three different sides of them, I walk into the light of their headlights. "Howdy boys. You know it's illegal to hunt bears on someone's private property with traps and snares?"  
  
Their leader smirks and says "but, we have the owner's permission."  
  
I say "Seeing as I'm the owner, that would be _**me**_ , and I didn't give _**anyone**_ permission! You can't hunt bears at night, traps or not, which are illegal. You boys wouldn't be that band of poachers they warned us Rangers about, would'Ya?"  
  
Four of them point rifles at me. I hear Peter's roar as he jumps into the light.

I use telekinesis to throw their guns into a nearby tree.

Dad walks out and points his gun at the leader and tells them to drop their weapons.  
  
They stupidly rush us. 

Dad's moving like a 20-year-old and kicking their asses with gusto.

I fight the ones attacking me. 

Peter slaps around the ones that went for him.

They dash for their guns, to get the upper hand. That's when we hear the police sirens.

They drop their weapons and get on their knees with hands behind their heads like dad told them at the beginning of all of this.  
  
Peter snuffles over me and makes sure I'm okay. I say "Peter, I'm okay. Go back to the cabin. No one can see you." He looks at dad, and when he nods, Peter runs back to the cabin, with a stop to get his clothes on the way.

  
About ten _**long**_ minutes later, the police find where we are. One of the poachers yells "he has a mutant bear in his cabin, and it's trained as a big dog. It's even named Peter.

Dad looks at me nervously.

I laugh and say "a mutant bear, trained, and in my cabin. You've watched too many movies. You don't train bears. And you _**don't**_ keep them in your house. Talk about a bull in a china store!"  
  
The Sheriff looks at us suspiciously as he says "you wouldn't mind showing me your cabin, would Ya? Just to let their minds rest at ease?"  
  
I shrug and say as casually as I can "Sure. Not a problem."

The poachers look at me strangely.  
  
When we get to my cabin, I hear Peter in the downstairs shower. I call "Peter! Can you come here for a minute?"  
  
"Just a minute, babe!" The water turns off, and we hear "Damn! I forgot a towel." He walks out totally naked and damp. He sees the police standing there. He doesn't make any attempt to cover up. Not like you could cover a dick that long and thick.

  
  
Every eye is on his package. The Sheriff says "damn, boy! How is that legal! Jesus!" He looks at me, scratches his head and asks "Sure your boyfriend hasn't worked in porn?"  
  
One of the poachers exclaims "Shit! If something like that were in porn, I'd watch a hell of a lot more of it."  
  
Peter blushes and says "sorry officer. Stiles and his dad went out to check on the intruders. Both are armed and in law enforcement, and they called you first, so I decided to indulge in a long hot shower. The downstairs bathroom has a larger water heater, so has more hot water. I forgot to get a towel first and wasn't expecting company. Not like I can cover up something my size. I'll go upstairs and get dressed _**unless**_ you need something else."  
  
They quickly say "no, we don't need anything. Get dressed before you catch your death of cold."  
  
I say in exasperation "would everyone stop staring at my boyfriend's dick. You'd think none of you have ever seen one before."  
  
They all watch his lovely ass as he goes upstairs to get dressed. The Sheriff looks at the poachers and says "Having a monster dick doesn't make you a monster and as you can see" He points around and adds "there are no bears in here. Let's let the nice gentlemen have their privacy."  
  
He points to three deputies and says "you three deputies ... search the grounds and make sure there are no more snares or bear traps. The rest of you get these guys in the paddy wagon. I'll call Ranger Niksos and let her know we arrested the poachers and there are a lot more than three of them."  
  
They all leave. Dad narrows his eyes as he asks me "why would you see Peter naked _**all**_ the time?"  
  
I nervously say "because his alpha form's a lot larger than his human one. He strips before he shifts, so he doesn't ruin his clothes. As _**the**_ Alpha here, and the _**only**_ werewolf, he feels it's his responsibility to patrol our territory every morning and every night. To show you respect, he's been wearing a robe when he goes out, so you don't see him naked."  
  
Dad sardonically says "I appreciate that. I don't think I'm ready to see him naked every day. Are all born werewolves built like that?"  
  
A fully dressed Peter's walking down the stairs and answers dad's question "no. We average 6-10 inches long. I'm 14 inches long. I'm big, even by our standards."  
  
I petulantly say "Peter? I normally have _**no**_ complaints about your nakedness, but I'd rather the _**entire**_ police force doesn't ogle your massive package." I shake my head, and confusedly ask "What was _ **with**_ the naked show?"  
  
Peter laughs and asks "you aren't jealous are you?"

When I glare at him, he says smoothly "everyone was too busy looking at my dick to look at my face. I doubt if any of them could tell you what color eyes I have or describe me. I gave them something besides my face to distract them."  
  
Dad tries to be helpful and diffuses my annoyance. He says "that's true. No one saw his face because they were too busy looking south of the equator. That was a smart move on his part, son."  
  
I huff my annoyance, clinch up and say "I'm going to take a shower." I turn and walk upstairs.

I'm sure Peter smells my annoyance and anger. It was dad's first time to take the potion and smell hasn't come into it yet but he can hear my heartbeat, and he knows something's bothering me.  
  
After I take a few steps up the stairs, Dad tries to distract me, and says "but, you haven't eaten yet."  
  
I half turn and say over my shoulder "I'll eat later, _**if**_ I'm hungry." Then I turn and finish walking upstairs.

  
They look at each other as I walk away for a relaxing shower.

When I come out, Peter's leaning against the bathroom door, waiting for me.  
  
Peter tries to hide his worriedness as he asks "are you mad at me? You smell off. What's the matter, Little One?"  
 

  
  
I can never stay mad or annoyed at him when he calls me that. I walk up and embrace him as I tuck my head under his chin. I sigh and say "I'm not angry. I'm jealous, and I felt like I did in detention. I didn't like them looking at you like that. I could smell how they felt and what they wanted. I don't want them or anyone else to touch you. Is that wrong?"  
  
Peter pulls me closer and cradles my head as he softly says "I'm not going to let anyone touch me, but you. There were too many law abiding citizens with guns for anything bad to happen."

He tilts my chin, so I'm looking into his eyes as he says "I _**do**_ understand how that made you feel. I won't ever let anyone touch _**you**_ in a bad way _**or**_ touch you _**without**_ permission. I don't want you _**ever**_ to feel _**unsafe**_ or be afraid anyone is going to violate you. It's okay to be frightened, but I won't let it happen _**and**_ neither will your dad. Okay, Little One? Especially now that he knows what Harris tried to do to you."

I smile nervously at him.

Dad walks in with a mug of hot chocolate for me and says "it's okay, Stiles. We _**won't**_ let anyone hurt you like that, _ **ever**_ again!"

Peter exchanges a look with my dad, and he joins our hug. After a few minutes, dad says let's get some of those fabulous pork chops, or should I say deer chops."

Peter chuckles, and I smile nervously.

We go downstairs and sit down to eat. About halfway through dinner, dad looks at me thoughtfully, and asks "did you put a camera in your room? That's the second time you mentioned I know something that you shouldn't know that I know. Like getting married or that I know about Harris."

  
I look down guiltily and reply "yeah, I'm pathetic. Even though I walked away from Beacon Hills, I wanted to know how long before anyone noticed I was gone. It's across from the door and has a motion sensor on it. Whenever it senses motion, it starts sending me a feed, and I get an alert chime on my computer."  
  
Dad says "you are _**not**_ pathetic! Anyone would be curious about how long it took. That's perfectly natural. I used your video of Harris. I brought it to the school board and Whittemore. I filed charges against Principal Kane for aiding and abetting, covering up a murder, child endangerment, and I'm checking if they can press charges against him for sexual assault. We got warrants to look at the rest of the tapes from the detentions. You weren't the only one that he forced into a sexual situation. You were the _**only one**_ that fought back hard enough to stop him. That makes me wonder what else Brunski did to you." He looks at me curiously.  
  
I look away and then down at my hands, guiltily, and subconsciously squirm when he says that.

Dad gets a hard look in his eyes as he continues with "Harris wasn't the only teacher that used detention to molest students."  
  
My eyes get teary while he's talking about it.  
  
Peter says "I told Stiles it wasn't his fault and he did nothing to incite his actions. He's entirely innocent. Harris is the only one to blame." Peter one-arm hugs me, and I lean on his chest and try valiantly to hold back the tears.  
  
Dad says "Peter is right. You did nothing wrong. That was all on Harris. You didn't ask him to do that. You told him to stop _**and**_ fought back. He knew you didn't want him, but he tried to force it anyway. That's a rapist, Stiles! You did nothing wrong! Now I understand why you didn't like people touching your skin unless you trust them."  
  
He grips my neck and pulls me into a hug as he quietly asks me "how many times did Brunski molest you?"  
  
I sigh and lean on his shoulder as I whispered "four ... when I was a kid ... he only likes little kids."  
  
Dad growls "now I wish I shot the bastard instead of just had him arrested for abusing and torturing his patients."  
  
He looks down at his plate, and I can smell guilt coming from him. He looks up and says "I should've noticed you never let Scott touch you. The only ones you let touch your skin, like your hands or face, was Melissa, me, Malia and Peter. You forcefully pushed Derek away when he tried to grab you. Did something happen to you with him? Did he hurt you too?"  
  
I sigh, sit up, grab onto Peter, and bury myself in his shoulder as I say "not like that. He slammed me into a few walls to intimidate me and got in my face. He got too close, and it made me uncomfortable, and I swear I had a flashback. I punched him the last time he did it. I hurt my hand on his face, but he let me go. He looked at me funny, so he must have picked up some emotion I didn't mean to project."  
  
Peter cradles my head as he says "I saw that. You smelled of the fight or flight instinct. Panic. Anger. Rage. Terror. After you stormed out, I slammed Derek _**through**_ the wall and told him if he ever hurt you like that again I **_will_** hurt him in the same way."  
  
I look up at Peter with a small half smile as he continues "I think he realized someone hurt you before, as Kate did to him, and it scared _**him**_. He _**was**_ upset _**he**_ hurt you in the same way. My being angry at him made it worse. He forgets you're not a wolf because you always seem so resilient. He forgets you _**can**_ get hurt and you're _**not**_ indestructible."  
  
I look down and say "that explains why he never did that again and he always looked at me, questioningly, when I refused to let someone touch me. Even, if it was just shaking off Scott's hand. I guess, I'm even more fucked up than I thought."  
  
Dad says "you were abused by people that were supposed to protect you and I hate to admit it, but I neglected you for a long time. You should've been getting hugs and encouraging and calming touches from me, and you weren't. I went weeks without _**seeing**_ you and months without _**touching**_ you. Some of this is my fault. I'm glad to see Peter treats you the way you deserve. He looks at you the way I used to look at Claudia. The way I feel when I look at Melissa."  
  
I look up at Peter and say "He's always looked after me. Protected me. He's always treated me like a person and respected me. I can say he's my anchor, that keeps me sane, with all of the things that happened to me."

I pull his arm tighter around me as I say "I don't know if I'd have survived without him. I'd never have come back from the dead. I liked being dead too much. No one hurt me there."

I pull out my phone and smile as I pull up a picture. I turn it to show dad a picture of Peter and I working on a plan together.

  
  
Dad says "I can see the total trust and respect between you here. Who took the picture?"  
  
I shrug and say "Malia. She was proving something to me. That I did have a chance with Peter, if I'd pull my head out and say something. I was afraid of rejection, though. There aren't a lot of pictures of Peter or me floating around. I thought it was good, so I kept it."


	11. Beacon Hills

**MONDAY 21 MAY 2012**  
  
The three of us drive to Beacon Hills in dad's car. Peter gets a Uhaul, and we empty his rental unit. Then we go to dad's, and I look around. There wasn't anything I wanted to get but my scrapbooks of paintings I sold and a couple of sketchbooks. Peter looks through my drawings and sees some I did of the pack.  
  
Best of the pictures I found ... Don't know who drew these but if anyone wants credit, let me know, and I'll post it.

  
  
  


 

 

  
  
  
  
Dad says "These are amazing. Your paintings are mostly landscapes, but your drawings are all portraits and look so real, mostly. I'm surprised you don't have any pictures of Peter in there."  
  
I open a panel in the wall and pull out another sketchbook. "that's because this is the book I drew Peter in." I hand it to them.  
  
Peter says "wow! I can see how you made so much money on your paintings. These are beautiful. You have a real talent here."

Peter drawings

Dad says "these show you have been in love with him for a while."

I blush, duck my head and run my hand through my hair.

Peter says "this last one is of my face over Malia's. That's the only one with two different people in the same drawing. Is there ... a story behind it?"  
  
I say "aside from Lydia saying she was your daughter we had nothing else. I was trying to see if there are any features you share. You don't. You both have brown hair, and that's it. I couldn't understand how she was yours especially since I know you're only eight years older than I am. Short hair makes you look older, but I still don't see how you could have a child my age when you're close to my age."  
  
I scuff my foot as I nervously continue "scientifically speaking, the youngest a human male was able to impregnate a female was at nine-years-old. Human beings and lycans might be different, but it still didn't make sense to me. Malia agreed."  
  
Dad looks at me in surprise. Peter's thinking it over. "You and Malia already suspected I wasn't her father. Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"Malia liked having a connection to you, and we were afraid that if you suspected you didn't have any genetic, physical, or emotional connection to the pack, you'd leave us, as Derek did. We didn't want to lose you."  
  
Peter smiles and says "We?" He smirks and says "I always saw myself as having a connection to you. You're the only one ever to understand me. We're the only ones that can keep up with each other. I wouldn't leave while you're traveling with their pack. If you left, I'd be gone the next day, _ **after**_ I verified you weren't coming back."  
  
I smile happily at him as dad leans against the wall. He says "you two have always been drawn to each other but were oblivious to the other's feelings."

  
  
Peter hugs me and smiles softly. He suddenly stiffens up, focuses on something outside, pushes me behind him and growls "Scott."  
  
Dad goes to the door and waits.  
  
A minute later Peter says "... and Melissa."  
  
We go downstairs, and both dad and Peter keep in front of me. I see Peter tightly coiled, ready for an attack and my father looks angry. Maybe he _**didn't**_ plan this?  
  
There is a knock on the front door.

Dad answers it and lets Melissa in, and Scott stays at the open door.  
  
He nervously says "Stiles? You look a lot better than I've seen you looking in a long time. How are you doing?"  
  
I sigh. No apology, not like I expected Scott to give one. "Peter ensures I eat and sleep on a regular schedule. I gained back most of the weight I lost. Peter keeps away my nightmares, so I'm sleeping again. What do you want Scott?"  
  
Scott looks hurt but continues as he steps inside and Peter steps further in front of me.  
  
He stops in his tracks and holds up his hands in surrender. Scott tries to look around Peter and says "Stiles? I am so very sorry for everything I said. I'm an idiot. We grew up together, you know everything about me, and I know next to nothing about you. I don't even know what your real name is."  
  
Peter says "it's Wilkksiezycawyc."  
  
Scott looks shocked that Peter knows my name. I say "you never asked. Peter asked when we were tracking down Erica and Boyd."  
  
Melissa says "it's Polish for wolf moon howl. he was born on the wolf moon, and his mom heard a wolf howl. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Peter's wolf."  
  
Peter looks at her thoughtfully. I never thought of that. What if the wolf mom heard was one of the Hales.  
  
Scott takes a breath and continues "I'm sorry I ignored you and didn't show that you _**are**_ important. I should've known you'd never hurt anyone, let alone kill in cold blood. I should've known when you asked what I was talking about, that I didn't have the full story. I'm an Alpha, and a real Alpha asks questions. They find out the facts. Doesn't go on the first story someone tells them. Verifies accusations."  
  
He scuffs his feet around nervously as he continues "Deaton created a lot of wedges, but I did too. I should've listened to you. That's totally my fault. Being human doesn't mean you can't have good instincts. You're never wrong about people. You knew right away about Jackson, Matt, Jennifer, Deucalion, Valack, Theo, and Malia. You always knew which twin was which by how they felt. We never knew the difference."

  
  
He looks me in the eye as he continues "I am so sorry. It kills me to know you died ..." He looks so sad as he continues " ... was dead for hours, and I never knew. Mom says turning my back on you and telling you not to talk to the pack hurt you beyond measure. I am so sorry. I should never have said that. I should've asked you what happened, not accused you and berated you for not telling me he was dead. I know I can never get our friendship back. The way I treated you during our entire relationship, you probably don't want it back. I'd like to start a NEW friendship with you. I know it'll have to be long distance because you won't be coming back. But I want to try and earn your forgiveness, and maybe some of your trust."  
  
I sigh, grab Peter's arm and bury myself into his chest and neck for a minute as he pulls me into a warm embrace. I look at Scott and say "you can try to earn friendship with me, long distance. You have to understand that I'm with Peter and I don't care how you feel about him because I love him. If you can handle that, then yes, we can try."  
  
I sigh as I look at Peter and dad, then steel myself to go on. They both nod encouragingly.  
  
I look at Scott and say "I don't like to be touched unless I trust someone. I kept brushing off your hand if it was on my skin for years. Please respect that. I ... I was raped when I was eight and Harris tried to rape me three years ago."  
  
Scott looks shocked and sickened. "I see why you hated Harris. If you don't mind my asking, who raped you?"  
  
I look at Peter pleadingly. He nods and says "Brunski."  
  
Scott looks angry. He calms himself and says "I respect that. I should've noticed. I didn't. Now that I think about it, you wouldn't let me put my hand on your shoulders or anywhere near your neck or hands. I don't have a problem with Peter. He's helped out the pack several times."  
  
He hopefully smiles as he says "I was never too thrilled that he never got physically involved unless someone touched or threatened you, I see he cares for you and will protect you like I never did. If I were a good friend, I would've had someone with you. We knew Donovan was on the loose and hated you and your dad. Not to mention, the dread doctors and the Beast. I should've never left you unprotected. Donovan's death is my fault."  
  
I look at him in shock. I say "you've matured and grown up since I left. Did you check out Mason as I suggested?"  
  
Scott says "yes. You were right. He was the last Chimera. He has disappearing twin syndrome. He has _**two**_ sets of DNA in his body, and the dread doctors were trying to use him to recreate the Beast. Using frequency. Deaton was controlling the Dread Doctors. They disappeared, and we haven't heard from them or the beast since."  
  
I nod and say "I sent Braeden and Morrell down into the tunnels, with my _'don't notice me spell,'_ to destroy the body of the first Beast. Once destroyed, the spirit dispelled. They mixed its ashes with mountain ash. That means no one can bring it forth in another body."  
  
Scott makes his fish face, and Melissa hides a smirk. Dad looks astonished, and Peter seems proud.  
  
I add "Braeden also put a toxin in their vat of Elixir they used for their longevity. It's slow acting so they wouldn't notice it until it was too late to make a cure. They should already be dead or near death. You'll probably find their bodies in the tunnels or their lab."

  
  
Scott looks a little green. I smile at Peter and say "I said I wasn't going back to Beacon Hills, and Scott was on his own, but I didn't say anything about not interfering through other means. He _**was**_ like my brother. I may not be able to kill in cold blood, but I know plenty of people that can and a most of them owe me favors."  
  
Melissa hugs me and kisses my cheek.  
  
Peter gets a thought and crosses his arms in annoyance, looks intently at Scott, and snarkily asks "did you do anything to stop Theo? I believe Stiles told you when he first showed up that he felt off."  
  
Melissa looks at Peter as she lays a hand on Scott's arm and says "Malia said Stiles informed them of that, so I asked Parrish to investigate. He found the bodies of Theo's parents in an unmarked grave outside of town two years ago. He used Theo's DNA to ID them. The fake parents asked for witness protection in exchange for information on Theo. It helped that he broke the fake dad's arm to hide his handwriting didn't match the speeding ticket that Stiles found. There's an APB out for Theo, and we know he plans on killing Scott on the next full moon, which is the 4th of June."  
  
I say "Scott, you need to start talking to your people and listening to them when they tell you things. You're not going to have mama McCall and me doing all the covering for you, especially once she marries dad."  
  
Scott yells "marries!? Are you getting married?"  
  
Melissa smiles, nods, and holds up her hand to show off her new ring. He air fists and says _ **"Yes!**_ It's about time you two got together. Can I be at the wedding? Can I be the best man?"  
  
Melissa laughs and says "I was thinking more about giving away the bride. I'm not sure who's going to get married first. John and I or Stiles and Peter."  
  
Scott says "you could have a double wedding?"  
  
Dad says "that's a thought. We want to get married in Wawona since that's where our new life is."  
  
Scott looks at me and says "if Stiles doesn't have a problem with me visiting now and then, I want to visit you all and rebuild our friendship." I nod, and he continues "I can come to help out with planning the wedding."  
  
Melissa says It will be over a year before we walk the aisle, But you can help. I have a feeling that if Lydia has anything to do with it, she'll try to run the whole thing."  
  
Peter looks at me and asks "would you and your dad have a problem if I take the truck to Malia's to help her load up her stuff while you guys visit with Scott?"  
  
I smile and say "no problem. I know you'll hear me if there is a problem and I have dad _**and**_ mom right here."  
  
Peter smiles and kisses me on the forehead. On the way out the door he stops and looks at Scott "If you do hurt Stiles, it'll be the last thing you ever do." He pats Scott on the head and leaves.

  
  
Scott gulps and says "okay. I was wrong. He still scares me." Dad hides a smirk, and Melissa laughs.  
  
We help dad pack up what he won't be needing in the next week or two and set it in the living room to go on the truck. Good thing we brought different color duct tape for each household.  
  
Most of the furniture is old, worn and masculine. Dad decided to leave it. He plans to send Melissa up next week, but I think she has other plans, to hit the furniture store to pick out kitchen furniture, a bed set and a couple of bookcases. We talk about anything _**not**_ supernatural. Scott finds the sketchbooks and the scrapbooks of all of my paintings.  
  
He says "A sketchbook? Who draws?" He opens the one of the pack and sees the pictures and looks at them in awe. He spends a long time looking at them. "These are breathtaking. I never knew you could draw like this."  
  
I say "Morrell started me sketching after mom died and I was in Eichen House. After that ... " I pick up the scrapbook and show him " ... these paid the bills. There wasn't much money at first with all of the medical bills, and the mortgage _**and**_ dad didn't make enough to pay them, so I started selling my paintings to pay the bills. I mean between that and my job at Walmart, stocking shelves every morning."  
  
Scott scoffs "yeah right. Kids can't have jobs." Melissa glares at him.  
  
Melissa slaps him on the back of the head and says "Stiles painted all of the paintings in the hospital, worked and went to school."  
  
I cross my arms and glare at him.  
  
He pales and mutters "oh crap. Sorry, Stiles. I have a lot to learn about not putting my foot in my mouth."  
  
I sigh and force myself to uncross my arms and say "unless they have their emancipation paperwork in their hand to prove it's okay. I had to keep up my grades. That was the only stipulation. I pretended I suck at lacrosse so I could sit on the bench and do homework or study for tests."  
  
Scott says "I thought emancipation is for if there are no adults to take care of you."  
  
Stiles says "it's also if you have to be an adult to help take care of yourself and your dad. It was either that or get taken away from dad and have no house."  
  
Dad says "I'm sorry, son. I never realized how hard it was for you and how much you did to keep us together. You gave up your childhood to protect me. You should've never had to do that. I should've pulled my head out of the bottle and realized someone was paying the bills because I wasn't. Someone, _**you**_ , was cleaning the house, cooking the meals, putting my drunk ass to bed, working 40 hours a week at Walmart, keeping your grades at the top in your class, and painting to pay the bills."  
  
Dad's crying as he continues "I couldn't deal with your mom's death and didn't see you cry or anything."  
  
I say "I did cry dad, but only with a friend that let me break down and helped pull me back together again."  
  
Dad looks down as he continues "I was drunk, and you were hiding that you hurt, so I put you in Eichen House. You were there for two weeks when Morrell came and told me I need to see you because it's hurting you more than it's helping. I go in there, and you're sitting in the corner all scrunched up in a ball. You don't look at anyone, and you don't respond to anyone, except to back away when they touch you. If I were half the cop I thought I was, I would've realized that's the signs of someone abuse. I got you out, and _**then**_ neglected you. I didn't even try to touch you or hug you. If it wasn't for Melissa, I don't think anyone would've ever kindly touched you. I'm so grateful that she was there to help you try and keep your sanity and remember that people love you."  
  
Melissa smiles at me and says "you've always been one of my boys. I'm glad I was able to help in any way that I could. I had financial troubles of my own until you paid off our house. I'll always be so grateful for that."  
  
I smile and say "we helped each other in the ways we needed at the time. That's the past. I would like to look forward to hopefully a better future."  
  
  
A few hours later Malia and Peter arrive. She runs in and hugs me. "Hey there, you. I would rather not admit Deaton was my biological father, but at least I don't have to worry about my dad marrying my brother. That would have been hard to explain."  
  
Scott makes a horrified look, and I drop my jaw in shock.  
  
Scott says "it doesn't bother you that your boyfriend is going to marry Peter?"

  
  
Malia snarls, walks up, and slaps him, _**hard.**_

He has a shocked hurt puppy look. "What did I do?"  
  
Malia says "You self-centered brat. He was _**never**_ my boyfriend. We both told you that. _**Repeatedly!**_ He took responsibility for me being in Eichen House because you took away my security of being a coyote. You threw me on a human family that didn't know anything about the supernatural. Stiles said it was both your faults I was in there. He didn't think anyone should be in a place that abuses kids. He saved me and then helped me get back into normal society and catch up. I had eight years to catch up and no one to help me before Stiles stepped up. He was cleaning up your mess, as usual. He's like my little brother."  
  
Scott says "I"m sorry. I failed a lot of people. I didn't pay attention to what the results of my actions were. All I looked at was you weren't trapped in coyote form anymore. I know Stiles is the one that helped you get control and taught you how to play human and be a better were-coyote. He did the same thing for me when I became a werewolf. I'm sorry I abandoned you. I didn't know. I didn't know about Eichen House until Parrish shot Brunski, _**w** **hile**_ he was trying to kill Stiles and Lydia."  
  
I one arm hugs Malia and says "Okay, now that you told Scott the real reason why you're always pissed at him _**and**_ you hit him to get his attention. I'm pretty sure he heard you since he apologized. You're leaving with us and won't be around Scott anymore so why don't you accept his apology, and we all put the past behind us and move on."  
  
Scott looks grateful.  
  
I ask "Malia? I take it everything is packed up and in the truck?"  
  
She looks at me and gives me a small smile and says "yeah. The house sold last month and the move out day is the 25th, so I'm good. I just graduated, thanks to you."  
  
I smile at her happily and say "good job. I knew you could do it."  
  
She says "I never want to go through finals week again. You set up an interview with your boss for tomorrow?"  
  
I say "yep. All set."  
  
She laughs and asks "you and Uncle Peter got me a place to live?"  
  
I laugh and say "Uncle Peter? Yes, we did."  
  
She smiles and says "He's not my dad and it _**would**_ be awkward to call him dad when he gets married to you. He said I could call him Uncle since Cora is our age and he's used to Derek and Cora calling him Uncle."  
  
I say "Peter hasn't asked me to marry him yet. I would like to assume that we _**are**_ headed there, but I've learned never to count my chickens before my eggs hatch."  
  
Malia glares at Peter, and he holds up his hands in surrender as he says "I'm working on it. That's part of what I have planned for my grand gesture on the 2nd. He's off on the third and fourth."  
  
Malia pouts and says "you better."  
  
Scott asks "Job? What job did you get? I plan to go to community college to be a vet."  
  
I say "I'm a Ranger in Yosemite National Park. I plan on going to college in the fall, to be a nurse. The most dangerous thing I have to worry about is a few poachers."  
  
Dad groans and says " _ **did**_ have to worry about, but not anymore."  
  
I ask "Should I make a big meal for all of us?"  
  
Peter says "Let's order Chinese, that way we don't have to clean up or repack the stuff."  
  
We order Chinese, and while we're waiting for it, Melissa says "Peter, I have two boxes packed up by my door at home. Can I come with you guys now and get a job at the hospital. I have a month of sick leave I'm using and then 168 hours of vacation accumulated to use before I quit here. I earn 6 hours every two weeks. That gives me nine weeks and a day or two. I'll have those checks to keep me going until I start getting paid there."  
  
I say "all of that time you weren't able to take off or be sick is going to come in handy for you."  
  
Peter says "that's fine with us. We have a lot of spare rooms. Your house won't be ready to live in for at least two weeks. They still have to finish the inspections, replace the water heater and make sure the electrical lines are functioning correctly. Not to mention inspecting the chimney and the heating and cooling systems. Stiles is in the process of getting solar power set up in our cabins. Your house is behind ours and Malia's is behind that."  
  
I say "by behind, we mean a mile and a half. We live in the middle of the forest. There is a real coyote den about 75 yards from Malia's back door. I thought she might like to see the little pups. They were just born a week or two ago. Coyote pups are born in April or May. I haven't seen the father around, so I think he's dead."  
  
Melissa says "that's great."  
  
Malia excitedly says "really? That's so cool! Can I play with them?"  
  
I say "as long as you're in coyote form. We don't want wild coyotes becoming dependant on humans. They shouldn't be pets." She agrees to that.  
  
Scott asks "can everyone give me their phone numbers, please?"  
  
Everyone gives him their phone number, and we all get his. We all know his number by heart but make a show of entering it into our phones. I say "Scott? Where is your sidekick? He was always following at your heels."  
  
Malia says "yeah, the only reason you were able to defeat Peter is the runt tried to come up behind him. Peter threw a bench at him which made you mad and you threw your anger into the fight."  
  
Scott says "Liam is with his girlfriend. Peter is it true you weren't trying to kill me, you were challenging me as alpha?"  
  
Malia scoffs "that's why he pushed me down and told Stiles and me to stay back while he took care of things. If he wanted you dead, he could have killed you at any time."  
  
Peter says "yes, that was a challenge. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have tried to fight you into submission. I'd have ripped out your throat or heart. I had my hand on your throat a number of times in our struggle. If you recall?"  
  
Scott looks down guiltily. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to anyone before and was such a bad alpha that you challenged me on it, and I put you in prison."  
  
Peter says "that's not a prison. That's a place Deaton put all his enemies. I never broke the law, and that was false imprisonment or kidnapping, depending on who you ask. It should've been a clue to you that something wasn't right when he put me in the same cell as Valack. The only reason he let Stiles see me was he knew Stiles was keeping me sane so I didn't go crazy and hunt down and kill Deaton and you for taking away my freedom."  
  
Scott says "what? He lied to me?"  
  
I say "most of what he told you was lies, Scott. I thought we went over that already."  
  
Scott looks dumbfounded. He realizes almost everything he told us was a lie. "Was anything he said true?"  
  
I say "no. Not even Deaton's name was real. His name was Alan Morrell. Deaton comes from the Norman Auton which means oak. Druid means Oak."  
  
  
  
An hour or so later, Peter, Malia, Melissa and I head back. It's a couple of hours drive. We go straight to Malia's new house and unload her boxes. Peter and Malia do the heavy lifting. Malia moves the boxes to the rooms she wants them in. Peter shows her the coyote den, and she's thrilled with the coyotes who take an immediate liking to her.  
  
Malia wants a picture of her with Peter and me, so we have fun with the camera.  
  
  
  
We then go to the furniture store. Malia picks out a bed and some bar stools for the kitchen, a desk, and a few bookcases. They will deliver everything tomorrow, and they are instructed to call us before they arrive."  
  
We go to our cabin and Peter puts everything in the living room to move over later. Mom and Malia pick out a guest room to stay in, and we clean up and go to The Five and Dime Diner for dinner. It's nice, not having a stalker work there.  
  
Roxy is our waitress. I introduce her to Melissa and Malia. She's thrilled to finally meet the lady I've been calling Mom or Momma McCall for a while now. I told her Malia is like my sister and she's locked into calling Peter Uncle. I get my usual. Today has been a very productive but tiring day. I hide a yawn, but Peter sees. He says time to head home so he can tuck me into bed.  
  
He heads outside in his robe, Malia follows, and they both run a patrol of our territory. I didn't tell him, I'm so tired because I started making more geas, and extending my turf to encompass their land. I want to protect them as well. I hope that I will finish them tomorrow, but that's a lot of geas to make.  
  
I am so dead asleep when he comes in that I don't feel him snuggle up to me.

 


	12. Geas Making

**TUESDAY**   
**22 May 2012**

**3 AM**

I get up super fucking early, again. I HAVE got to finish encircling the border of our territory around dad's and Malia's cabins with my specially designed geas.

I sit up and longingly stare at my spot in the bed. If I didn't love dad and Malia like my sister, I wouldn't do this to myself. They need to be protected and kept safe. I should finish this no later than tomorrow, but if I don't get my ass moving it won't get done.

As I get out of bed, Peter instinctively grabs my wrist, raises up, and pulls me into his arms where he nuzzles my neck. He must've figured that's why I got up and left before he awoke yesterday.

I say "it's early yet. Go back to sleep. I thought you'd want to get more sleep."

He arches his brow and says "I'd think _**you'd**_ want to get more sleep considering you could barely make it up the stairs last night. You shouldn't be that exhausted, I haven't exhausted you as I want and will do once you're mine."

I chuckle and say "only you can go from scolding to innuendos and flirting. What makes you think you could tire me out?"

He arches a brow derisively as he says "I aim to please and I always satisfy the object of my affections."

Peter flips us over, and I let out a startled oompf as my hands go to his warm, broad, and muscular chest. I like touching him so leave my hands right there, if one of my hands is over his nipple, I'm _**not**_ going to complain.

It takes my mind a minute or two to peel itself away from looking into his beautiful blue eyes and the way his body feels on top of mine.

I have to work at focusing on our conversation. My brow goes up in surprise. "That's a bold statement." I fake pout as I ask "does that mean that I'm not the only person to ever got caught in your crosshairs?"

He smiles and says "A long time ago, I had a guy that I practiced my ... technique ... on. I guarantee I'll please and satisfy you more than you could ever want. Before you ask, we agreed only to give our hearts to our true love, but we went through a ... teaching and learning ... experience so that we'd know how to ensure we meet our mates' needs and give them the most pleasure. To keep them happy and satisfied."

I ask "should I be jealous or worry that he'll come back for you?"

He climbs higher up my body so that he's looking down into my eyes as he smirks and says "there's nothing to be jealous about, love. You're the only one I've ever cared about like this."

I like this position, especially when it registers where his groin is, in relation to mine. I'm valiantly trying not to get a significant woody when I say "I'm looking forward to seeing what you've learned, but then again, you could be bragging without the ability to put your money where your mouth is, so to speak."

He smirks and slowly lowers himself closer to me as he says "OH? Really now? I think I can put more than my mouth ... where my money is, baby." He deliberately leans down and kisses my neck on the pulse point. I bite back a moan as my hand moves around to his neck and hair. I pant a little as I turn my head, baring my neck, and I feel his lips as he smiles into my throat.

I catch sight of the clock, see the time and says "Crap! It's getting late. I have a deadline I have got to meet."

He is off of me and across the room getting dressed before I even see him move.

"Damn! You can move fast when you want."

He smirks and says "I can also move unimaginably slow when I want as well."

We dress and quietly go out the back door. We hike to where I had to stop working yesterday. I walk to a tree about 50 yards further down, in the rough circle I'm trying to make around our territories border. I concentrate my magic into the lines of the geas I draw into the tree and watch as the geas glows for a second, indicating that it's active and functioning like I want.

I created my unique geas by combining three runes. The power of three is the most potent aspect of magick.

The 1st rune is Algiz which the strongest rune of healing and protection. It is so powerful that it not only protects the caster but the friends and family of the spell caster as well.

The 2nd rune is Eihwaz - the world tree and the power of the earth.  It signifies progress and protection.

The 3rd rune is Dagaz - the full moon. It represents the point of illumination or discovery.

The three together mean the powers of nature, (earth and trees), reveal intruders and threats while protecting us.

I continue working my way around the border. After I finish the twelfth one, I feel the drain and severe tiredness eating at my core. I push through it though. I have got to finish before dad and Malia move in. I _**need**_ them safe. She's like my sister. I don't want anything to happen to them.

As I finish the twentieth one, I'm sweating, and I feel incredibly heavy, like I'm walking underwater or I'm wearing lead shoes. I feel Peter growling subvocally and see him flexing his hands and trying not to make a fist or extend his claws. Wait! How do I feel his growl? I shouldn't be able to. I haven't taken my elixir in a while. How sensitive am I getting to werewolf abilities?

I finish laying the quarter-mile geas around our cabins and work on the half-mile geas before I run out of time and energy. God! I am so incredibly tired. We head back to the cabin.  
  
I shower to get ready for work and then lay down on the bed for a nap while awaiting Marco, to pick me up.

Peter drives the girls into town so mom can apply for the nursing job and then takes Malia to her interview at the station.

  
I'm not aware of anything for several hours until Marco shows up to pick me up for patrol.

I'm dragging _ **all**_ day because I used a lot of energy on the geas. Marco side-eyes me as he asks "are you coming down with something?"

I look at him funny. "You're the second person to say that today. No. I'm just incredibly tired. I think I overdid it when I was helping everyone move. Why do you ask?"

He says "you're not as bouncy or as annoyingly hyper as you normally are. For you, that's unusual. Are you sure that you're okay?"

I say "I'm just exhausted. I drove several hours, both there and back, and helped dad pack. I helped mom and Malia put some of the boxes in their respective cabins until they are liveable and it's safe to unpack them." I avoid mentioning that I used too much magick.

He smiles and nods as he says "I'll do the reports and paperwork. I'll drop you off early so you can get some sleep. I'm sure a good long rest will help you kick whatever you're trying to come down with."

I gratefully smile at him and say "as long as you don't mind. I _**can**_ do them. You don't have to help me out like this."

He says "it's not a problem. I'm sure you would offer to do the same for me if I was as worn out as you seem to be."

I nod in agreement as I say "that I would."

He drops me off and tells me to get some sleep.

I say "I intend to. I'll get something to eat and pass out for the night. Thanks, Marco. I appreciate this."

 

 

I slowly drag myself inside and am greeted by dinner already on the table. Mom says "we want to do something a little special for you. We made what we hope is one of your favorite meals."

Baked Cod With Tomato, Zucchini, and Peppers with Pierogis. It's one of my favorite Polish recipes. I guess they found my cookbooks. I'm glad they didn't look in the boxes in the cupboard. That could be embarrassing if they realize what I'm hiding in mislabeled boxes.

Malia says "All I did was guess that since this book and recipe has your scent strongest, that it's your favorite recipe. Since I'm not that good at cooking, all I did was read the recipe for mom to make the meal."

I hug them both and say "it _ **is**_ my favorite recipe and reading the recipe is important. Dad always mixes up teaspoon and tablespoon."

Peter says "she's getting to be a regular Sherlock Holmes."

Malia says "we appreciate you putting us up in your home until our cabins are ready. You don't have to do that. You could dump us off at the hotel."

I say "I _ **won't**_ do something like that to my family. You don't have to be related by blood to be family. I love you guys."

We talk about their job interviews over dinner.

 

Malia says she got the job, and I air fist and hug her. "Yes! That means you'll be one of my partners. You and Marco."

 

The clinic near us is just that, a clinic. Open 9-5 Monday thru Friday. Mom can work there and still be close to home, but there's not a lot of medical procedures done there. It might be boring for a nurse that was practically running the ER in Beacon Hills. The local clinic only has 34 beds. Or she could go to one of the five hospitals scattered around the park.  
  
She chose to go to a real hospital. She'll drive 15 miles away, every workday. She's now the new head nurse. She has to be trained by the retiring nurse, but it's hers. She starts tomorrow.  
  
Malia begins on Friday. I'll train her to be my new partner, and Marco is our relief. I'm off work on Sunday, Monday. She's off work on Tuesday, Wednesday. Marco is off work on Thursday, Friday. The three of us work Saturdays. It's scheduled that way because they have most unique events on Saturdays, so more people can go to them. Like the 49er Festival.

We clean up, and I run upstairs to grab a shower so I can drop into bed early.

When I walk out of the shower in my towel to put on my sleep shorts, I'm greeted by the fabulous site of Peter peeling off his underwear.

A very naked Peter looks up, walks over, hugs me, and kisses the top of my head. "You need to get some sleep. You're exhausted. I'm going to run a patrol with Malia. She's in our pack now and needs to learn how to patrol our land. That's part of everyone's wolf pack responsibilities."

I smile at him, sniff his fantastic smell, and say "I will, but I need to say goodnight to mom first."

He puts on his robe, and we walk downstairs.

I hug mom and tell her "Goodnight, mom. I'm beat. I'll see you tomorrow. Sleep well." I kiss her cheek.

I kiss Malia's cheek and tell her goodnight also.

Everyone gives me concerned looks, but I pass off my exhaustion as moving, driving, and working, all in 24-48 hours.

 

Peter says "Malia? Are you ready to patrol our land with me? You can wait until tomorrow to learn how, if you want. It's up to you."

She smiles, shines her blue eyes and says "let's go, Uncle Peter."

They go out back, and a few seconds later I hear him shift to alpha. They walk past the glass porch door on their way to run the property.

Melissa goes into the living room to watch TV, and I go upstairs and drop into bed. I'm so fucking dead tired. I don't even feel Peter climb into bed with me or feel him cuddle me.

 

  
 _ **WEDNESDAY**_  
 _ **23, MAY 2012**_  
 **3 AM**  
  
Thank God it's the last day I have to get up at this ungodly hour. When I try to get up to finish laying the geas, I find Peter's arms wrapped firmly around me as he cuddles me tightly to his chest, as the little spoon.

When I try to extract myself from his arms, he awakens and pulls me tighter to his chest and buries his nose in my neck. I sigh contentedly and hold on to his arms for a few minutes before rolling over on top of him and looking as I smell his concern.

  
  
I ask "what's the matter, Peter?"  
  
He says "I don't like you tiring yourself out this badly using your magic. You shouldn't drain yourself to that extent, ever! You're using way too much magic! I worry about you. I know magic like that can be hard on you. I don't like you hurting yourself like this. I don't want you to do that again today. Please don't do that again. I can't just stand by while I see you hurting like that."  
  
I card my fingers through his hair to calm him as I smile and say "yes, putting up that many geas in a day _ **is**_ very tiring. I _**need**_ to finish them before they move into their homes. I want them safe and protected. I don't have that many remaining. I only have ten left. Then all of _**our**_ properties will be protected. I'll know if anything larger than a Chihuahua crosses our borders."  
  
He narrows his eyes as he asks "Only ten? Yesterday you put up 23. I counted. I could see by the 12th that it was tiring you. At 20 I wanted to hold you in my arms and never let you go or let you make any more that day."

I smile and tuck my head under his chin and snuggle closer to his chest. He sighs contentedly and squeezes me as he pulls me closer to him as we roll on our side. He's still worried and nervous though. I can feel it.

He sighs and says "After this? If our territory expands _**any**_ more, or any other pack members join us, you _**have**_ got to promise me that you'll _**limit**_ yourself to 10 geas a day. Please?"

I look up at him and see how serious he's being. "I'm not sure I _**can**_ promise that."

He frowns, growls worriedly, and determinedly says "we _**will**_ plan out how long we _**have**_ to ensure you don't weaken yourself by the end of the crafting."

He squeezes me tightly as he worriedly asks "what happens if an army of hunters crosses into our territory, but you're passed out from exhaustion and can't feel them attack, or they leave traps, and you're unconscious, so you don't feel they were ever here."  
  
I sigh and nod in agreement as I say "You're right. You're absolutely right. I see your very valid point."

He sighs in relief.

I say "It's not safe to deplete myself and be unable to sense intruders.  It's safer to do a small number of geas each day and feel what's already in place. Okay, Peter. You win. I promise. We'll plan it out and take our time to do it without draining me. I guess, I need you to tell me when I'm doing something stupid that endangers us, even though I think I'm protecting us. What would I do without you?"

  
He smiles and squeezes me. "Do you have to do them this early in the morning?"  
  
I say "unfortunately, yes. I wouldn't get up this early unless it was necessary. How strong my geas are is affected by the time of day I make them. The best time to do them is in the hour before sunrise to the hour after sunrise. I can push it to two hours before and after, but one hour is optimum. Sunrise is at 5:46 am. I have to get up and get my slow human ass over there to start the first one by 4:46 am."

I smile and say "besides, I like being able to share the sunrise with you. It's calm, quiet and beautiful." I look into his beautiful blue eyes as I say "kind of like you."

He actually blushes. I smile and ask "you can blush? I didn't think you ever blushed. Did Malia blush when you dropped your robe in front of her?"

He laughs and says "I can blush, just not very often. I had my back to her when I took my robe off. Malia was a coyote for eight years, so nudity isn't going to bother her. I was being nice and not openly displaying my Peter in front of her."

I laugh as I say "Peter's Peter was modest. I would never have thought of that."

He laughs when he realizes what he said.

We get up and go out to finish the geas around the cabins and then, I crawl back into bed while Peter and Malia run the perimeter.

I wake up at 8:30 am when Peter makes me get up so I can have some breakfast. He doesn't want me going to work hungry.

  
I go to work with Marco. Peter brings mom to work and helps Malia move in. I think she'll be playing with the cubs most of the day.  
  
  
While I'm working, Peter brings Malia to the bank to add her name to the paperwork for the house and helps her open a bank account. They make a list of the furniture and household supplies she'll need.

They go to the grocery store and get milk, cereal, fruit, vegetables and some meat. They get her a TV and radio as well.

He has a crew inspect the house to make sure nothing needs repair, and everything works correctly.

  
She eats supper with us at our place and hangs out with us until bedtime. I like the sound of 'our place.' I smile to myself and curl closer to Peter's side as we watch TV.

Peter and Malia run their patrol while Melissa and I clean up the dinner dishes.

Mom tells me that Scott calls her every day at noon and they talk about everything going on in each of their lives.

I smile. I'm glad Melissa's keeping up a relationship with Scott. She says he'll call me on my day off so we can talk. I say "okay. That sounds great."

I fall asleep watching TV, curled up against Peter's side as we watch Criminal Minds. He carries me upstairs and tucks us into bed.


	13. Talk About Life

**FRIDAY**  
 **May 25th, 2012**  
  
Marco picks up Malia and me, and we patrol together. Malia drives her new SUV as we patrol.

Since Hyde's gone, we decide to eat lunch at The Five and Dime. Malia likes the food and Roxy.

  
When Marco gets up to take a leak, I take the chance to talk to Roxy about my concerns. I look down at my hands, and I nervously say "Roxy?"

"Yes, sweety."

I say "moving turned out better than I feared. I came here to start a life of my own. I thought I'd be alone, possibly for the rest of my life. I hoped that Peter and Malia would want to stay friends with me, but I was afraid of jinxing myself by counting on it. There were too many variables, and I figured everyone would stay with Scott. I thought I'd never get to talk to my dad again."

I look up at her and say "I got to keep my dad because he followed me here and decided to work on our relationship. We hadn't had that since before my mom died. Peter came with me and decided not only to never leave but to admit that we have feelings for each other and we're going to work at being a couple."

I hold Malia's hand as I say "Malia followed me here, as well as mom, well, Melissa. Dad's asked her to marry him, and together they want to adopt Malia which makes her my real sister. She gets to have a family that cares about her, finally."

I look at Roxy and nervously say "I'm a little apprehensive that the other shoe will fall any minute now and everything will fall apart, or I'll wake up and realize I'm in an insane asylum."  
  
Roxy smiles fondly at me, pats my shoulder and says "this isn't Beacon Hills, honey. That may have happened there, but don't be so sure that'll happen here. Give Wawona a chance. You _**deserve**_ to be happy after _**everything**_ you sacrificed to make _**your**_ family happy."  
  
Malia one arm hugs me and says "yeah, try to enjoy being happy with us. _**We**_ love and respect you and will do everything we can to keep you safe. I can't wait to see you get fuzzy. I bet you're still cute."  
  
I chuckle and say "I doubt it, but okay, sis."  
  
Marco comes back to the table from his trip to the John and orders his meal. He says "I can see why you love this place. Between the good food and the customer service, I'd give it five stars out of four."  
  
  
Marco and I teach Malia how to fill out the reports and forms and then appropriately file them, not to mention patrolling. How to show kids necessary survival skills and the occasional tourist information questions that they ask. How to check people have the right license for what they're hunting or fishing. Malia loves everything about being a Ranger.  
  
I get a distinct impression that Marco is eyeing Malia.  
  
  
**LATER**  
Peter takes the Melissa, Malia and I to the Buffalo Bar in the Wawona Hotel.

  
  
  
Peter looks incredibly handsome in his dressed down suit. The man loves to dress up.  
  
  
  
I order the Roast Duck with Pomegranate-Honey-Orange Glaze.  
  
  
  
Malia orders the roasted rabbit in rosemary and garlic. Deer wasn't on the menu, and I couldn't try for pizza when she says she loves deer as I did with dad.  
  
  
  
Peter orders the baked salmon.  
  
  
  
Mom orders a grass-fed Rib-eye steak with scallions and red potatoes.  
  
  
  
We talk about what we want our lives to be like here in Wawona while we eat.

Mom looks like she's debating if she wants to bring something up, but is worried about our response. I've seen that look around Scott, a lot.  
  
I look at her quizzically, put down my water glass, lean back and say "you can ask me anything you want, mom. I don't easily take offense to things. I mean look how much shit I put up with Scott. I seriously doubt that anything you could ever ask me would upset me."  
  
Melissa takes a sip of her wine and carefully adjust it on her napkin as she nervously says "I've been thinking about things. Things you and your mom used to do. With herbs and such. I remember the savs and ointments and tonics you both made for Scott's various injuries and his asthma. I've decided I want to learn herbal healing and maybe magic as well. I was wondering ... I was wondering if you could ... teach me or point me to someone that can? I suspect you know several witches, perhaps not personally, but enough to ask for advice."  
  
I smile and say "as it so happens, I'm an Earth Witch. It's a little more than your average witch. It means that I'm tied into the element of earth. I can grow plants without seeds or fertilizer. I'd gladly teach you what I can, and I can find a few witches fully trained that can train us both. I feel you _**do**_ have an affinity for magic, possibly healing. When would you like to start?"  
  
Peter smiles and says "you could eventually be our emissary. I suppose that means you'll be spending a lot of time in the greenhouse?"  
  
Malia says "Oh wow! You're going to teach mom to be a witch. That's amazing."  
  
Melissa says "if anyone outside of our pack asks, I'm learning herbal cures to be a better nurse. I don't want outsiders to know I'm learning witchcraft."  
  
I smile and say "that's fine by me. We can start in the greenhouse as Peter suggests. Are you going to tell dad?"  
  
She thinks and says "herbs? Yes. Magic? I think I'll wait until I can do something with it first. I won't lie about it, but I won't volunteer it either."  
  
That night I have several odd dreams about Melissa, interspersed with the usual nightmares of my life traumas.  
  
   


 

 


	14. Why Dad Shouldn't Cook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was over 8,000 words so broke it down into 3 chapters. Cooking ... Dancing ... Panic Attacks. It's all one conversation.

**SUNDAY**  
 **27 May 2012**  
  
  
  
Malia completes her training as my new partner. She's only so-so with guns because the loud noise hurts her ears and she just doesn't like them when she has claws and fangs. I qualified as a marksman and have training as a sharpshooter, thanks to dad, and we rarely have armed assailants to deal with, so it's not a big deal.  
  
She moved into her cabin yesterday and loves it, or maybe it's shifting and playing with the coyote mom and her nine pups that adopted her as their aunt that she loves.

  
Peter has her running patrols through our territory every morning and every night with him. He says all weres should learn how and participate to ensure the safety of the pack.

  
  
Dad arrives with the last of his stuff. His first day as my boss-in-training is tomorrow. That has me nervous. Our family dynamics aren't stable to begin with, and now we'll have a working relationship on top of it. He never gave me preferential treatment, so it shouldn't be a big deal.  
  
I'm mentally crossing my fingers though. He does get protective when he knows I'm in danger. I remember he freaked when he realized I disappeared off that field. I'm glad I was able to convince him it was kids and not a psycho hunter that would've killed dad if confronted. I can't watch him die! Especially, because of me.  
  
We're replacing dad's water heater in his cabin. The wiring's worn, and out of code. Not to mention the squirrels ate the electrical wires going _ **into**_ the building. The bank's contractors will finish the rewiring next week. The same with the new flooring upstairs, that was damaged from a window they didn't close properly after the previous owner died.  
  
  
  
Melissa and dad are staying at my place, in SEPARATE rooms, for now. They want to date before they hop into the same bed. I believe Mom will stay at my place until they get married. She wants a Christmas wedding but intends to go through the conventional steps of a relationship. She's thinking next Christmas and wants Lydia to help her plan it.  
  
I hired construction workers to install solar tiles that are flush with the roof (fewer chances of squirrels eating the wires or nesting under them) and looks like a better design. Dow makes them with a mix of copper, indium, gallium, and selenium (CIGS). It's part of a test to see if it's viable in this environment. There is a house in California and Arizona that they're testing as well. We're installing them on all three cabins.  
  


 

  
We go to the Furniture store and pick out furniture for dad's place, finish getting furniture for Malia, a few pieces for the guest rooms in our home, a better chair for my upstairs library, as well as a desk, chair, and lamp I'll need for doing school work soon.  
  
Mom and Peter exchange ideas (read debate) for furniture for different rooms for different functions, for hours.

Malia, Dad and I wind up cheering as the Mets beat the San Diego Padres, two to zilch, on one of the TVs while they shop.

I converted Malia into a Mets fan months ago. I'm glad to see Malia is just as bored as me.

They'll deliver it in two weeks. That gives us enough time for dad's house to be livable.  
  
  
**LATER,**  
 **AFTER DINNER CLEANUP**  
Dad offers to join the cooking lineup of our evening meal, but he's _**not**_ a good cook, so we wisely turn him down. The man can't boil an egg without some mishap. I still remembered the pressure cooker incident a few years ago, so I say "Dad! Two words, _**pressure cooker!**_ "  
  
Dad blushes and says "Good point. Maybe I should _**never**_ be allowed in the kitchen!"  
  
I laugh and say "it's okay dad. You're an outstanding cop. You just aren't blessed in cooking. Everyone has their strengths. Cooking, obviously, is not yours."  
  
  
Malia asks "what's a pressure cooker and how bad could it be? I mean what could happen just making a meal?"  
  
Mom and I chuckle as she pulls put out her phone and shows Malia a couple of photos.  
  
  
  
Peter says "how in the hell did that happen?! I mean this in the nicest possible way, but you aren't ever going to cook in our kitchen."  
  
Malia says "wow! I guess it is possible to damage the kitchen!"  
  
Dad blushes and says "it was an accident. I didn't _ **try**_ to blow up the kitchen. _**Geez!**_ Make one mistake, and you _**never**_ live it down. Wait! Why do you have those pictures on your phone? A better question is why do you even have those pictures?"  
  
Melissa hugs dad and kisses him on the cheek as she says "for instances like now, when I need to explain to Malia that anything can happen in the kitchen and not everyone should cook."  
  
I say "lucky no one had a camera the time you tried to surprise my mom with a Thanksgiving turkey." I look at Malia and say "Dad tried cooking it in a paper bag as he heard on TV, and burned down the kitchen."  
  
  
  
Dad gravely says "and that's why we now keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen."  
  
  
_**MEAL PREFERENCES**_  
Mom tends to make fast, casserole dishes due to all of her years of not having the time to cook.  
  
  
  
After all his years of having a lot of money, and time at his disposal, AND the boredom to try out new things, Peter creates exotic, delicious recipes. I enjoy almost all of them. I didn't like that mussels feel like snot but other than that ...  
  


  
I, myself, make sizeable full course healthy meals, but I do take requests. I had researched a lot of healthy foods to keep dad fit, so he doesn't die early on me from a heart attack or diabetes. I love Polish, Czech, and Russian dishes because of mom and grandma.  
  
  
  
Malia makes simple things, mostly out of a box. Cooking is new to her, due to being a coyote for eight years. She can just as readily eat things raw as cooked. She _**is**_ enjoying learning to cook with us. She likes how the flavors change when spices mix, and you prepare it correctly.  
  
  
  
I keep a notebook on the counter with the current shopping list on it and ideas for what I want to make next week. When anyone in the pack needs or wants something, they write it down.  
  
  
As we are finishing the dishes, Malia teases _**her**_ Uncle Peter about being domesticated and the perfect housewife.  
  
I finally stomp my foot in annoyance, turn, and say "I think that'd be me. I _**love**_ to cook, and Peter's more dominant than I am. I'd be the one in the kitchen while he's out back kicking the villain's ass. Not to mention I tend to stress bake, a lot!"  
  
Dad nods, smiles fondly and says "yeah, his stress baking looks like he's trying to feed an army. The last time, we donated a lot of it to the long-term care facility at the hospital, and we still didn't have to cook for a week. Danny wound up taking Stiles camping for a week."  
  
I blush, turn away from everyone, and go back to washing dishes with my back purposely facing the others as I silently panic a little. I try to squash it before one of the non-humans say anything.  
  
Peter smells I'm anxious and nervous. He quietly lays his hand on my shoulder and whispers "are you okay?"  
  
I take a deep calming breath, sigh, and nod. I whisper "no, I'm not. That's not a subject I like to discuss."  
  
Mom sees the entire thing and is silently working on piecing things together. She always _**has**_ known more about what's going on in my life than anyone. She just didn't realize it. I sigh, slump my shoulders resignedly, and add "Looks like you're about to find out why."

 


	15. I Dance, You Dance, We all Dance

  
**SUNDAY**  
 **27 May 2012**  
Mom sees the entire thing and silently working on piecing things together. She always HAS known more about what's going on in my life than anyone. She just didn't realize it. I sigh, slump my shoulders resignedly, and add "Looks like you're about to find out why."  
  
Melissa's wearing her 'Sherlock Holmes face.' She cocks her head to the side and asks "Stiles? Was that when you and Danny went to Las Vegas for the finals in the _**two-d**_ competition? What _**does**_ _two-d_ stand for?"

  
  
I drop my head, hunch my shoulders further and say "it's not two-d, its T-W-O-D."  
  
Peter drops his towel in surprise as he turns and asks "The World of Dance? Are you that good at dancing? You made it into THAT competition?! Do you realize how incredulous that is?"  
  
I sigh resignedly and say "Yes. The World of Dance. Why do you think I was stress baking! Wait!! You dance?! That explains why you're so graceful." Did he just hide a blush?  
  
She says "Danny says people all over the world compete for the title."  
  
Malia says "that would explain why it's called the world of dance."  
  
I blush as I duck my head and rake my fingers through my hair in nervous embarrassment and answer "yeah. When we got to the World level, I freaked."  
  
John steadily asks "so; you didn't go camping? I thought you quit dancing after the first class, as a kid?"  
  
Malia bounces up and down excitedly with a smug smile on her face as she says "I _**knew**_ it. You _**do**_ fake being a clutz!! I mean, you never actually knock anything over _**or**_ damage _**anything.**_ It's always a near miss, or you exaggerate grabbing something to show you _**almost**_ drop it or the spectacular fall without ever hurting yourself."  
  
I smile at her as I nod my head. "My reflexes, agility, and flexibility attract less attention if people think I'm a clutz. Peter figured out it's my act when I caught Liam's glass when _**he**_ spazzed and nearly broke it. It looked expensive."  
  
Peter says "it was. Very. The runt's clumsiness showed me yours is an act. A brilliant and fantastic performance that makes it look like anything outstanding you do, that you shouldn't be able to do, is an accident, even when it's not. Ever thought of being an actor?"  
  
I shake my head. "I don't like being the center of attention or in groups of people. My PTSD is too bad. As it is, as soon as I walk into a room, I catalog the exits, how many people are there, who stands as if they can fight, who pays attention to me, who's armed and with what. That's one reason I moved here, where there aren't as many people that I have to worry about coming after me."  
  
Dad hugs me and says "Agent McCall told me you show signs of severe PTSD. I got angry and said he didn't know what he was saying. The guy he shot had a gun to your head and was counting down to pull the trigger. You didn't act as any reasonable person would. You didn't flinch or show any fear."  
  
  
  
Mom gives Malia a one-armed hug as she says "I figured out Stiles' act a couple of years ago. I found Stiles standing on the arms of a chair, as he balanced it on one leg, to change a light bulb in the kitchen. Kind of like Jolie did in that spy movie she did with Pitt. To show me it wasn't a big deal, he backflipped off of it, landing on his feet with barely any sound, _**and**_ he didn't knock over the chair or anything else. I told him never to do that again and to ask the neighbor for his ladder."

  
  
Dad narrows his eyes and asks "did you ask Mr. Selleck for a ladder the next time?"  
  
I shrug and sigh as I respond "Yeah, dad. He noticed I was nervous about using a ladder and didn't trust it, so he changed the light bulb for me."  
  
Peter asks "why don't you trust them?"  
  
I say "they tend to tip over, close on you, or break while you're on them. Chairs are stable and have four legs that never change position. I trust them more."  
  
Peter moves closer to me, looks at me impressed, and purrs "I wonder how long you've been taking that potion or even if you need it." The man loves to be in my personal space when he makes those kinds of comments. It's hard not to shiver or lean into him and touch his massive chest.  
  
I just smile nervously as dad gears up to re-ask his question that I _**thought**_ I had smoothly _**avoided**_ earlier and hoped he'd _**forget.**_  
  
Dad crosses his arms, leans forward and determinedly asks "son? That camping trip? It wasn't camping! You didn't _ **quit**_ dance class as you lead me to believe after your _**first**_ class?"  
  
I look at dad guiltily. "No, we didn't go camping. I didn't want anyone knowing how much I love to dance and they thought I was a natural ballet dancer. People automatically ostracize guys in ballet as gay. Yeah, I'm gay, but I didn't want harassment for dancing. My mom always told you we were going to the park to help burn off my energy and we'd secretly go to our dance classes. She was learning the waltz and the rumba. She said it helped maintain her girlish figure while I studied ballet and yoga."  
  
Mom says "You only told me you made it to world level; however, Danny told me you were in the top three. How well did you place? You never told me how you fared."  
  
I blush furiously, run my hand through my hair nervously and try to decide if I tell them or not. I finally decide, square my shoulders, open a kitchen cupboard, and grab a box that says '9-Mom's China' on it. I pull it down, open it and pull out a trophy saying World of Dance Champions of 2009.  


  
  
Dad opens the other two boxes that say '10-mom's China' and mom's knickknacks' and finds my TWOD trophy from 2010 and a bunch of national awards. Some of them have just my name and some with mine and Danny's. He looks at me, impressed.  
  
Peter hugs me and says "you won! Twice! I'm impressed! That championship is on youtube. I have _ **got**_ to look up your dance routines. Every dancer knows that's the ultimate prize."  
  
I look at him in shock and nervousness. "You competed?"  
  
Peter says "yes. I was more ballroom and jazz, but I can pop it pretty well. I never made it past regionals."

  
  
Mom looks at him and comments "I _**can**_ see you doing ballroom dance, but I just _**can't**_ see you _**pop**_ it. Danny does it amazingly well."  
  
Malia adds "I agree with mom. You seem too upper class and snobbish to be hip-hop." We look at her wide-eyed and open-mouthed.  
  
She puts her hand over her mouth in shock that she just called Melissa _**mom!**_ "I'm sorry. You're like the mom I always wished I had, and Stiles calls you mom all the time. It just slipped out. I don't want to offend you."

  
  
Mom hugs her and says "it's okay, baby. I don't mind you calling me mom. Stiles has called me mom for longer than I can remember. He calls me Mama Mccall when Scott's around, so as not to offend _**him.**_ I'd be honored to be your mom. I'd be happy to adopt you, if that's something you want, even though you're 17."  
  
Malia nearly purrs and says "Really? You'd adopt me? I can have you as my real mom?! I'd love that!"  
  
Dad says "I'll talk to a lawyer tomorrow. Son? Why didn't you tell me you won a competition? Hell, why didn't you tell me you were in one? I'd have arranged to go. You know that."  
  
I shuffle nervously. Without looking up, I say "that's why. I was already freaking out that I was in the _**world**_ finals. I would've had another panic attack if you were in the audience. I couldn't have handled the pressure to be perfect for you, so you're not disappointed in me."  
  
Dad says "I've never been disappointed in you and never will be. You always do your absolute best, and that's all I could ever ask. You don't have to win or be the best. Just be you, son."  
  
I fight back a few tears as he hugs me and then I panic as I see Peter's face. Oh Crap! What did he figure out and what got me in trouble?


	16. Theo's Attack on Stiles Recounted

**SUNDAY**  
 **27 May 2012**  
What did he figure out and what got me in trouble?  
  
Peter scowls as he says "another one?!" He takes a step forward and intently asks "So that panic attack, after the pool? It wasn't your only one as you led me to believe! I nearly had a stroke when I found you passed out in your jeep after hearing your heart racing and you not breathing. You told me, it had to be a panic attack after the stress of nearly drowning with someone you felt responsible for keeping alive and you heard that can could trigger one. How long have you had them?"  
  
I'm nervously toeing the ground and say "since my first stay at Eichen House. I was afraid to trust anyone for a long time. I never got to where I can openly ask for help. I finally got to where I _**do**_ go to Dad, if he's around, or Mom when I feel one building up. They calm me down so I can get control before I pass out."  
  
Peter nods as he thoughtfully says "That's why I've heard him tell you to calm down and breathe. I thought it was because you had too much Adderall. I didn't realize it was because of panic attacks."  
  
I nod as dad says "sometimes just telling him to breathe reminds him he has some control and he calms down."  
  
Mom says "if that doesn't work, hugging him so he can feel your breathing and heartbeat gives him something to try and match to get control."  
  
Peter relaxes his stance and sighs as he says "I hope you know you can add me to the list of people you can turn to for help?" I hug him and bury my head under his chin for a moment. He wraps his arm around my back, so I know he's not mad at me.  
  
I step back, duck my head, and shyly smile as I reply "I figured that out when you ensured the twins left me alone, _ **and**_ you tossed Derek through a wall." I see dad's eyebrow go up in surprise while Melissa does her 'I knew it' smile.

  
  
Malia anxiously asks "I'm on your list, right? You know I'm always here for you. You're my anchor, and you help me be human!"  
  
I nod and try to calm her down as I rest my head on her shoulder and look up at her. "I know. You're like my big sister, and you've already stopped me from having an attack, after my fight with Theo."  
  
She looks confused, so I shrug, look down, and say "I said it was just an asthma attack and I needed to calm down. I mean, I punched Theo in the face when it felt like he might try to force ..." I stop myself, take a deep breath and say "I panicked and hit him. You got rid of him and helped me calm down enough to fight off the attack."  
  
It looks like an angry cloud crosses over Peter's face and Dad looks suspicious, a little upset, but a lot confused. I'm hoping they let it go, but I can see from Malia's face that she remembers the incident. Damn!  
  
Malia bounces excitedly and says "I remember. I roared at Theo and yelled that an angry human broke his nose and drew blood from a chimera. IF you can do that, imagine what I'll do to him if he ever lays another hand on you. You're my little brother, and I can get a lot angrier, and I'll rip his heart out to protect you."  
  
Peter makes the timeout gesture and says "Hold it. Rewind. That bastard tried to force himself on you?"  
  
I swallow and nervously say "it felt like that to me, but I'm a little damaged in that regards."  
  
Mom looks at Malia and asks "tell us exactly what happened1"  
  
Malia looks off distantly as she anxiously recounts what she saw. "I remember. Um, I follow Stiles' scent to tell him something for Scott. I feel Stiles anxiety coming from the roof of the hospital in waves, and I hear Theo threatening him in a quiet voice. It had a creepy feel to it. It pisses me off when I listen to him call Stiles a murderer."  
  
She continues "Theo's asking 'what's Scott going to do when he finds out.' It doesn't sound or feel right. I know Stiles would never murder anyone, so I jump up and land downwind where Theo can't smell me."  
  
Malia gets an angry look on her face as she remembers what Theo was doing. "He shoves Stiles into the wall and pins him there as he promises that if Stiles switches sides he'll make it worthwhile and it looks like he's about to kiss Stiles. I could tell Stiles didn't want him to do that." She shakes her head as she remembers.

  
  
I pale and start shaking. Melissa grabs me, hugs me to her chest, and curls her hand protectively around my head and as she strokes my back to calm me.  
  
I feel Peter and dad seething and angry. It feels like Peter is practically vibrating with anger. Malia's still recounting everything, and I wish she'd stop already. I should've done something or told him I'm not interested. I should have done something, anything. Why didn't I? I'm worthless. I sag into mom's shoulder in near despair.  
  
Malia's biting her lip as she tries to remember all the details and says "Stiles freaks, knees him in the nuts, punches him in the stomach, and when Theo falls forward to hold his stomach, Stiles raises his knee and slams it into his nose, breaking it. He growls, flashes his eyes, and moves to attack Stiles. I run forward and punch Theo as hard as I can in the face, knocking him down and breaking his jaw. I roar at him as my eyes glow blue in anger and tell him if he ever raises another hand to my brother I'll rip his heart out."

  
  
Peter's eyes glow red as he angrily states "I'll kill him. I'll rip his heart out with my bare hands. He had no right!"  
  
Melissa holds her hand up in a 'hang on just a minute' gesture and says "Scott knows about Theo's plan to kill him on the full moon and plans on locking him up, under Eichen House. I believe Braeden intends to kill him though. He's unstable, evil and powerful."  
  
Peter smiles at that and turns off the red eyes. He tilts my chin, so I'm looking into his eyes and says "we ..." and points around to our pack as he continues "won't let anyone hurt you like that ever again! None of us see you as damaged. Even Malia thought that bastard was going to do something to you and she's not as sensitive to human behavior as we are. If Braeden doesn't kill him, I'm sure I can arrange for the bastard to meet Alexi." He evilly smiles as he says "Alexi's just as protective of you as I am. He smells similar enough to you to be related, closely, by blood."  
  
Dad says "what? Are you related to Alexi? How is that possible?"  
  
I look at dad helplessly and answer "mom's much older sister married a Russian Mafia Lord. Mom was a late-in-life, unplanned surprise for gran. That's how she survived when Gerard went through Warsaw and killed the rest of her family. Mom was only five, and hid in a crawl space under the floor, for three days, until Grandma came back from Alexi's Christening in Moscow. I guess that makes him my 1st cousin. He followed mom here to look out for her and then me, by default. We're a lot closer than we let on."  
  
Dad looks at Peter and says "I don't want to know about any killing or retribution. I _**am**_ in law enforcement. At the same time, Theo's dangerous, and prisons aren't meant to hold chimeras. I _**do**_ need to have deniability, though."  
  
Peter smiles and says "of course, Sheriff. Protecting Stiles is always my priority as well as the protection of our pack. He makes a good second and you and Melissa make good pack elders or advisors."  
  
They both look shocked that he'd welcome them as advisors. Melissa says "why, thank you, Peter."


	17. Life Moves On, Peacefully

**SUNDAY**   
**27 May 2012**

They both look shocked that he'd welcome them as advisors. Melissa says "why, thank you, Peter."

Peter then says "on a different note. I suggest a group fund for maintaining our little wolf pack. Most packs have everyone that's working put in 10%. If you stay at home and cook for your wolf pack ..."

He looks at Malia and quickly corrects himself "... sorry, canine pack, or if you keep house for us, you get paid. The fund's for emergencies and groceries since we eat supper together. We have the biggest kitchen, so meals should be at our house."

Dad arches his brow suspiciously as he asks "are you planning on getting a job in the future?"

Peter narrows his eyes as he looks at dad and says "As a matter of fact, I do. I wasn't suggesting pay me for keeping house. I'm not a nurturer or caretaker. I plan on joining the Rangers when Stiles quits and goes to college. Financially, I don't need a job, however, as a werewolf, I feel I must provide for my mate."

Dad raises an eyebrow in surprise, and Melissa says "it is the perfect job for all weres."

 

We move to the living room, after putting the dishes away.

I catch dad up on Melissa getting a job as the head nurse in a local hospital, Malia is my partner and signed off as my partner.

I also inform dad about what stage the repairs are at in his cabin and what I'm doing to mine.

Malia says "I love it here. It's home, and I love being in the middle of nature, protecting it, and finding hikers too stupid to stay on the trails." I smile because I know she means she likes being more in tune with nature than people and that it is an advantage for her here.

Dad's impressed with how well Malia has adapted to being a Ranger and playing human here. Peter points out weres have a natural affinity for patrolling the forest since they _**are**_ forest animals walking in a human body. She worked today because we don't have the same days off.

I say "there's no Nemeton, Deaton or monthly bad guys to fuck it up. We get to live peacefully with our pack and family."

Peter smiles, hugs me and snuffles at my neck.

Dad says "I just can't get over big terrifying Peter is so protective and cuddly here."

Melissa and Malia softly chuckle as Peter huffs in annoyance. "I'm only cuddly with Stiles, and I'm still terrifying."

 

I'm pleasantly impressed when Malia asks my dad to help her pick some college classes to help her apply to the police department. She wants to take a few basic courses at the community college to improve her chances of being a deputy. She hopes that one day she can be a Sheriff like he was in Beacon Hills.

He smiles and says "I'd be glad to help you set up a few classes and help with paperwork to apply for college. I'm already proud of how much progress you've made since Stiles brought you home from Eichen. For someone that lost eight years of your life, you've done amazingly well acclimating back into life. High school is the hardest place to be, even if you didn't miss eight years."

Malia smiles and hugs me. "That's because of all the word games, reading and writing my brother here made me do. He said any kid that can learn to live as a coyote and hunt down deer and wolves on their own could deal with a few stupid pansy teenagers."

Peter hugs her and says "you're allowed to take some credit for how hard you worked and how quickly you caught up." She smiles up at him.

Dad says "you need to complete a basic criminal justice degree like a certification or a diploma which takes six months to a year to complete. Your second option includes pursuing a bachelor's or master’s degree in criminal justice or law enforcement. "

Melissa volunteers to help her as well.

I say "How about we keep working on your math, science, reading, and writing so you won't have any problems with college. We can teach you a foreign language as well."

Peter says "I can teach you Spanish or French."

Mom says "I speak Italian, which is similar."

When they look at me, I say "don't look at me. I speak Polish, Russian, Moravian, German, French, Italian, Chaldean, Latin and Ancient Latin. Those are a lot harder to learn than Spanish. And yes I understand Spanish, but I could never trill the damn R, so I don't consider myself proficient in it."

Dad looks shocked as he asks "why do you speak so many languages and how did you learn so many?"

I blush and shuffle a little as I say "mom taught me Polish and Moravian. Alexi is Russian mafia, and he showed me a couple of his dialects. The Argents spoke French to each other, so I thought it'd be useful. French, Spanish and Italian all have the same root words with slight changes to accent, spelling and a few words here and there. I need Latin and Ancient Latin for researching ancient spells, the same with Chaldean. The German was from my stocking job. The security guard was Lithuanian. I was the only one that could talk with him, and that was stilted, with only my Polish and Russian. He taught me German so we could communicate better."

Malia asks "Moravian? Where is Moravia? I've never heard of a country Moravia."

I smile at that.

Peter patiently says "that's the language spoken in the Czech Republic. Like Irish speak Gaelic. The language is not always named the same as the name of the country."

I make several bowls of healthy popcorn so we can watch TV together.

 

 

 **LATER**  
We wind up watching a few episodes of Supernatural season 1. I comment "A witch must have written this." Everyone looks at me I blush, duck my head and shut my mouth. I hate when my brain to mouth filter doesn't work.

During a commercial, Malia looks at me and says "Stiles? Anthony asked me out on a date. I said I need to talk to you about it first. I'd like to date him but not sure how that works."


	18. Dating 101

  
**LATER**  
We wind up watching a few episodes of Supernatural season 1. I comment "A witch must have written this." Everyone looks at me I blush, duck my head and shut my mouth. I hate when my brain to mouth filter doesn't work.  
  
During a commercial, Malia looks at me and says "Stiles? Anthony asked me out on a date. I said I need to talk to you about it first. I'd like to date him but not sure how that works."  
  
I look at her in puzzlement. "Anthony? Who's Anthony?"  
  
She says "the Ranger that covers for us on our days off. Your first partner. He's terrified of Uncle Peter. Anthony Marco."  
  
I say "Oh. I thought Marco was his first name. Do you want to date him?"  
  
She nods, and I say "start small and tell him you haven't dated because we lost you in an accident. If you want to, you can say I'm one of the people that found you and helped you get back into normal things. That's why we're so close. Don't say you were a coyote but tell him you weren't in civilization for a while and you need to go slow because you're discovering how things work. If he's an honorable man, he'll go slow and give you time to figure things out."  
  
Mom says "Johnathan, and I'll be dating as well. You can see with your super senses how we go on a date. I'm sure Stiles has no problem with you watching him and Peter date as well."

  
  
Peter says "I'll warn him that if he hurts you, I'll hurt him, so he better treat my precious niece like she deserves to be treated, or else."  
  
I say "when I say start small, I mean, tell him he can take you out on your day off for coffee, so you can talk about nonwork-related issues and see if he's okay for you. I always had the rule that dates are not a place to discuss school or work. It's not supposed to be a business date. If it goes okay he can take you out to dinner another night. Don't let him pressure you into sex either. There are a lot of asshole guys out there that do try to push innocent people into sex."  
  
Malia cautiously asks "did any guys pressure you?"  
  
I smile and say "I was always afraid someone wouldn't take no for an answer. I always set it up in advance so Danny would call me to see how it was going and then later he'd purposely bump into us somewhere. If I wanted him to save me from my date, I'd say some code phrase, and he'd come to my rescue. There were a lot of nights he had to break up my dates so we could" I use my fingers for quotation marks as I say " _ **work**_ on homework or a paper that I already completed."   
  
I continue "I think I only had one date that Danny didn't have to break up out of like 15. That doesn't mean you'll have any problems, though. I went out with most of them because they pressured me or guilt-tripped me into it. I never liked any of them enough to go on a second date, but I'm picky."  
  
Dad asks "you went on 15 dates? With guys? I never knew you dated anyone. Of course, I always thought you had a crush on Lydia until I saw you two together and figured out she was your rival and not your crush."  
  
Peter says "I'm glad to see at least one person close to you was able to see through that ruse about Lydia. I saw through that right away. You weren't drooling." When I glare at him, he quickly says "just kidding."  
  
Mom says "Malia? You can have Stiles do the same thing with you. He can call you and see how it's going and then stop by where you are and ask if you need help writing a report. Yes, means get me out of here. No translates to Marco's a gentleman and to stay away so you can enjoy your date."  
  
Peter says "that's a good idea." Malia nods agreement.  
  
Dad says "Melissa? Can I take you to coffee tomorrow night after work? She can watch us and see how it goes."  
  
Mom smiles and says "I'd like that."  
  
Malia looks at me as she plays with her hair. I ask "what is it, Malia? You only twist your hair in a loop when you're trying to decide if you're going to ask someone something and you're not sure how it will go. I don't think I have many secrets left. What do you want to know?"  
  
She smiles and shyly asks "I was just wondering, out of curiosity, who's on your list?"  
  
I smile and ask "my list of people I would go to for help?" She nods emphatically. I chuckle and say "dad, mom, Peter, you, Alexi, Danny, Celestria, and Parrish."  
  
Peter asks "who's Celestria?"  
  
I smile and say "a water witch. You'll love her. I'm going to sleep. See you tomorrow."

 

I head upstairs, and Peter follows me up.

He's waiting in the bed when I come out of the shower.  
  
  
  
I climb into bed and curl up on his chest. He pulls me closer, and says " _ **not**_ that I'm a jealous man or anything. Okay. I _**am**_ jealous. I was wondering if you ever did anything with Danny? I know you're still a virgin. What I'm trying to ask is, did you ever date him or kiss him? Does he mean anything to you?"  
  
I look up at him and say "he means a great deal to me, but as the brother I never had that always had my back. I could always depend on him, that is until he got a crush on Jackson and started following him around to be his new best friend. That's when I turned to Scott to be my friend." I frown as I say "Scott was never as reliable, trustworthy, or protective as Danny."  
  
Peter smiles, squeezes me, and says "okay. I just had to ask. When it comes to you, I'm insecure and afraid I'll lose you. I haven't got the best track record. I'm _**not**_ human, and I'm **_older_** than you. I was _**insane**_ , and I _**killed**_ a lot of people. Most of them, I don't feel sorry for it."  
  
I put my hand on his neck and say "Yes, you're six years older than I am, but you spent six years in a coma, so that evens us out. Most of the people you killed, deserved it. Meyers is the only one that didn't, and that was marginal. I was insane for a little while also. As for not being human, I'm willing to join you in not being human to be with you, so that's not an obstacle. I'm damaged goods thanks to Brunski and Harris, so I feel just as insecure as you do. You look like a Greek god while I look like Herman Munster."  
  
He laughs and says "how about a compromise. We both look like Greek gods and you better not say, Baccus. I'd be Ares, and you'd be Apollo. You bring light into my dark world."  
  
I laugh and say "I like that. Apollo and Ares. The sun god and the god of war. You have the muscular physique for that. I promise never to leave you. It'd kill me if you ever left me."  
  
He cards his fingers through my hair as he says "I promise you that I'll _**never**_ leave you. I'll follow you into death. I'd kill whoever killed you first, and then I'd join you. There's no reason to live in a world without you."  
  
I sigh happily, smile and say "you are so romantic and protective."


	19. Lawyers and Rings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry. Between mom's birthday and doctor's on my feet, I lost track of the date. Message me if I forget.

**MONDAY**  
**28 May 2012**  
  
When I wake up, I see Peter looking at his phone. I turn it so I can look at it. I smile at a picture of me.  
  
  
  
He lets me look through his phone. There are quite a few pictures of me, with the pack. My breath catches when I see one of me getting Erica to Derek when she had a seizure. I remember her telling me that I was her Batman.  
  
  
  
I sigh and hand the phone back. I snuggle on Peter's chest as he kisses me on the forehead and tells me there was nothing I could have done for her.  
  
I say "I know. I miss Erica, and she shouldn't have died like that."  
  
He squeezes me sadly.  
  
  
**AT BREAKFAST**  
Malia is eating breakfast with us when Marco arrives to pick her up. Dad answers the door and brings him into the kitchen. Peter's between Malia and I when he walks in.  
  
Malia hops up and says "Anthony! I lost track of time, hold on a second while I get my jacket." She runs out the back door and uses were-coyote speed to go to her place and get her jacket and get back in a few minutes.  
  
I look at Marco and say "Malia tells me you asked her out. She deserves a good guy that's going to treat her right. If you hurt her, I'll sick Peter on you."  
  
Peter smiles evilly and says "anything happens to my niece, and no one will ever find the pieces."  
  
Dad stands up and says "hurt Malia, and it'd be a shame if my gun happens to go off in your general direction." He turns to Melissa and says "we need to go to the lawyers now so we can work on Malia's adoption."  
  
Melissa gets up and says "Marco? Anthony? Whatever name you use. Everyone's told you not to hurt my baby. I'm going to inform you of the positives about getting in a relationship with Malia. We can be your worst nightmares, OR we can be your greatest allies. Protect my baby and keep her safe and we'll look out for you, hurt her, and we'll bury you. We might even wait till you're dead to do it."  
  
She kisses me on the cheek and says "see you later, son. We have business in town. Wish us luck."  
  
I say "you don't need luck mom. You're already the best mom in the world. It's going to be great having Malia as my legal sister."  
  
Malia walks in the back door as she's putting on her jacket.  
  
Melissa and Dad say "see you tonight. We're going to the adoption lawyers now. Peter made us an appointment. He has a lot of Legal connections." If I'm not mistaken, he looked pointedly at Marco when he said that.  
  
Malia hugs mom as she says "see you later" as they leave for their day.  
  
Peter and I are now the only ones left in the house.  
  
I clean away the dirty dishes as Peter embraces me from behind and noses at my neck. "You'll sick me on him? That's the worst threat you could come up with?"  
  
I lean back into his warm embrace as I say "he's terrified of you and I know nothing I can think of is half as frightening as what you think up. You're the great big, strong, powerful, protective Alpha I know and love."  
  
He chuckles, rests his chin on my head, and says "you're the main one I want to protect, and by extension, the ones you love. My happy little pack now has my mate, a were-coyote, an elder and a Witch in training. We have plenty of space to expand our canine pack and a stable, safe environment for us to have a family, **_after,_** you create the career you always wanted. I'll stand by you and support you every step of the way to see that dream happen, my little one."  
  
I say "I'm glad we found each other. You're the best mate I could ever want. Now help me clean up before we get incredibly sappy."  
  
He laughs and asks "just being curious, what's your ring size?"  
  
I look at him oddly and say "I'm not sure, but you can borrow my grandfather's ring. I wear it sometimes when I miss gran and my mother."  
  
I take his hand and lead him up to the secret library, and over to the table with a marble clock with a stalking tiger on it. I slide the front panel open to reveal a safe. I open it with the code for my birthday, 0127.  
  
Peter says "I was wondering why that clock doesn't work and you didn't feel the need to fix it."  
  
  
  
I smirk and say "it's not a clock. It's a personal safe." I put the ring on and verify it still fits before removing it and handing it to Peter. "Just be careful with this. It's ancient."  
  
  
  
He says "I'll guard it with my life."  
  
I get a funny feeling that he's not joking.

  
**AROUND 10**  
I get a call from dad, and he'd like for us to meet him at the lawyers.  
  
We drive into town. When we walk in, I see Malia signing something with a lawyer.  
  
Dad explains he needs me to witness the adoption, legally.  
  
I smile and say "I'm glad you thought of me."  
  
The lawyers say they need to explain everything to me before I sign it.  
  
Malia has to get back to work, so she leaves with Marco.  
  
Peter pulls dad towards the door as he says "John? I need to talk with you why they go over the paperwork." I look at him suspiciously, but shrug and listen to what the lawyers are saying.

 

 

  
  
Peter takes John to the jewelry store down the street. He says "I was hoping you'd help me pick out the perfect engagement ring for Stiles. I have my grandparent's wedding ring set, and only a mated wolf pair can wear them. That's why my sister didn't have them. Her husband wasn't her mate. Her marriage was for power, not love."  
  
They go into the store. As the front bell rings, the salesman turns and asks "Hello. How may I help you?"  
  
Peter says "I'm looking for the perfect engagement ring."  
  
"You've come to the right place." He leads them over to dainty rings, and Peter says "Sorry. Let me clarify. It's an engagement ring for a man. A very pale one and he likes older style things. I'm not sure of his ring size, so I borrowed his grandfather's ring to get the size checked."  
  
Peter pulls the ring out of a small velvet bag in his front pocket, and Johnathan says "Oh. That ring. Stiles has always loved the antique style of that ring."  
  
The clerk measures it and says "It seems to be a 10."  
  
Peter smirks and says "figure he's a 10 in every other way, why not have a size ten finger." John chuckles and the salesman blushes.  
  
The clerk says "if he's very pale, silver, platinum, or white gold will look fetching on pale skin. If he likes antique styles, these over here would probably be more his style. What colors does he prefer? Or would you prefer to go with a classic diamond?"  
  
Peter says "He's not that traditional. He wears red because a friend told him he looks good in red but his favorite color is blue."  
  
John says "diamonds are alright but not necessary. He doesn't like the idea of blood diamonds, whatever that is."  
  
He says how about one of these rings. A simple silver ring with a decent sized Asian diamond, not an African blood diamond, and lapis lazuli accent catch Peter's eye.  
  
  
  
Peter picks it up and asks "doesn't lapis lazuli mean fidelity and pure love?"  
  
The clerk smiles and says "As a matter of fact it does. I was afraid you were one of those Vampire Diary fans that call any ring with that stone a vampire's daylight ring."  
  
Peter says "I've never heard of it, but I think _**this**_ is the perfect ring. What do you think John? Will he love it or should I keep looking?"  
  
John says "I think it's perfect. Do you have that in a 10?"  
  
He says "yes I do. Would you like anything engraved on the inside of the ring?"  
  
Peter says "I think I do." He writes on the order form 'You are the moon that lights up my dark world.'  
  
John smiles and says "how appropriate." Peter laughs.  
  
The man smiles and says "you must be a very romantic guy."  
  
Peter says "Stiles is the only one ever to tell me that. I don't think I am. I just try to make him happy."  
  
He chuckles and says "basically, that's what a romantic is. Someone that looks at their partner's happiness first, and does little things, just to see them smile."  
  
Peter smiles happily. "I never heard it described like that. I suppose that fits both of us then." He hands the ring back and sees a heart-shaped box in the display case with blue velvet inside it. "Can I buy that box for the ring?"  
  
The clerk says "of course, sir."  
  
Peter asks "When will this be ready to be picked up?"  
  
He says "I can have it ready first thing in the morning, sir."  
  
Peter smiles, nods, and says "thank you." He pays for the ring, engraving, and a lifetime warranty.


	20. Theo's Back

**MONDAY** **, 28 May 2012**  
**IN THE LAWYERS OFFICE**

  
Dad and Peter walk back into the lawyer's office as I sign the last paper. The lawyer says "we'll file these with the courts. It should finalize in about 7-10 business days."  
  
We all say "thank you." Dad briskly shakes the lawyer's hands, and mom hugs them in gratitude.  
  
Dad tells me they have a date tonight, so they'll be a little late tonight.  
  
I hug dad and say "see you later this evening." 

Mom and dad go back to their respective jobs.  


  
  
It's nearly 1 pm, so Peter takes me to the Five and Dime for Lunch.  
  
Roxy's happy to see us. 

Peter somehow uses his charm to get her to eat with us, and we tell her all about signing the papers to make Malia my official sister.  
  
She sees how happy I am about it so gets me a piece of dutch apple pie a la mode as a special treat, on the house!  
  
When I go to the bathroom, Roxy asks him how we are, as in, _ **we**_. He smiles and tells her he ordered an engagement ring while I was signing the forms, and he picks it up tomorrow. She wants to see it, before he gives it to me. He promises to stop by tomorrow and show her.  
  
Peter takes me home, and we watch TV for a while.  
  
  
  
**LATER THAT NIGHT**  
After their date, all of us are watching Leverage when my computer pings an alert. Peter pauses the movie as I turn on my laptop. I distractedly say "you don't have to stop the show."  
  
Peter says "I've learned that when you get an alert, it means a little more than _you have mail_."  
  
Dad asks "someone triggered one of your cameras?"  
  
I absently answer "hmmm. This late at night? It _**has**_ to be a camera because no one would email me besides Danny, and he's in a happy place right now. He finally hooked up with the guy he was crushing on for years, in London." 

As I bring up my camera feed, I say "it has to be at the vet's office and Deaton's dead. Something's off."

Malia looks funny and asks "Jackson? Was he crushing on Jackson? Wait? They hooked up?! Jackson's ... ?"  
  
I nod as I say "was I the only one that noticed that crush?"  
  
I click on the alert, and it _**is**_ a video feed from the vet office. Theo is spreading mountain ash around the walls of the room.  
  
Peter asks sardonically "isn't it a little redundant to spread mountain ash in a building made of mountain ash and Rowan?"  
  
I deadpan "not if it's a trap for a werewolf." Melissa looks at me nervously.  
  
  
  
Once the circle is nearly complete, Theo hides in the shadows.  
  
Peter says "that idiot, Scott, is never aware of his surroundings and refuses to let his wolf instincts know if anything feels or smells wrong. It's going to get him killed. Derek and I were always scaring the shit out of him because he didn't sense us."  
  
I say "he fights his instincts because he wants to be human."  
   
Malia says "but then he never listened to you, the human, that has better instincts than any werewolf."  
  
Melissa curiously and nervously asks "I take it, that's a problem?"  
  
Peter says "yes. It is. He won't sense or smell Theo because of it."  
  
About 10 minutes later Scott runs in and with only a cursory glance around, turns off the silent alarm.    
  
Theo steps out of hiding and hits him in the head with my bat, and then steps back into the shadows. He's watching the entrance intently as he pulls out what looks like a syringe and uncaps it.  
  
Scott is lying on the floor, stunned, holding his head and trying to shake it off.  
  
Dad asks "where did he get your bat from?"  
  
I think about it and say "Melissa's garage."  
  
A few seconds later Kira walks in. She calls out "Scott, are you okay? What was that noise?" She sees him laying on the floor and runs to him. She bends down to check on him as Theo steps out and injects her in the neck with a syringe of what I assume is kanima venom. Tracy was a kanima before we killed her.

  
Theo stalks over to a semi-conscience Scott as he fills in the gap of the mountain ash ring. "I don't know how you and the little runt killed Deaton and the others. You're too stupid and gullible to do it on your own and Stiles is gone. He must've sent someone back to do it for him." 

He squats next to him and yanks on his hair to make Scott look at him. "Do you have _**any** _ idea how easily I got you to fuck him over one too many times? So, I know he _**won't**_ come back to save you. _**Not** _ this time! I'm hoping he killed himself when you kicked him to the curb. You tend to fuck over your friends, Scott, as soon as you get a girlfriend, so they leave you alone with the girl."  
  
He says the name Scott with such utter hatred and disdain. "You _**ruined**_ all of my plans! It took me a long time to track down Stiles' bat so I can plant it next to your body after I kill you? How does such a bumbling idiot like you make shambles of all my plans? I'm going to enjoy this!"  
  
  
  
I say "Malia? Can you call Liam?"  
  
She nods and starts dialing.  
  
Melissa says "he won't get there in time."  
  
I look at Peter. "Give me your hand. If we combine our talking to the dead abilities together, we can call up the sister he killed. Kira's right next to him. I can use the element of earth in the mountain ash of the circle and the building, tap into her elemental electricity, and open a portal right in front of Theo for his sister to trap him in limbo."  
  
  


  
  
Peter takes my hand, and my eyes go Witch white while his go alpha red. Suddenly there's a third hand holding ours. I look up to see it's Tara.  
  
I hear Melissa gasp as they _**SEE**_ Tara.  
  
Dad says "we can see the dead you're talking to if they touch both of you at the same time?"  
  
Peter says "so it would appear."  
  
Tara says "I'll help you. Get me there with your portal, and I'll trap him. He won't be able to escape unless the same two elements are combined again."  
  
I say "I don't intend on connecting my earth with her electricity again. Gran said it hurts like a bitch to combine elements." Peter frowns.  
  
My eyes glow Witch white again, and she disappears.  
  
As Theo raises the bat to hit Scott, the lights in the vet's office fluctuate, hissing and crackling like something from a horror film.  
  
He stops, turns and looks around. His pulse starts racing with nervousness and fear. "Who's there?"  
  
The ash pulls together into a large pile in the center of the room and then undulates like a like a giant snake is shifting and pulsing under it.    
  
Theo freaks out and backs up against the wall. He's trapped himself there with his fear.  
  
One of the lights explodes, and lightning strikes from the light fixture to the writhing ash on the floor.  
  
The floor cracks open with a dim green glow. A heavy, cold and wet white hand reaches up and grabs Theo's leg. It pulls him to the ground and starts dragging him toward's the hole in the floor.  
  
Morrell, Liam, and Lydia and rush into the office. They're shocked by what they see happening, and not one of them rushes to help Theo. Lydia goes to Scott's side and helps him sit up and lean back against the wall.  
  
Theo screams and grabs the examining table that's bolted to the floor. He's yelling " _ **NO!**_ Tara, no! I'm sorry! I needed your heart to survive! I'm sorry Tara! _**TARA!!**_ Don't do this! Please!" He's desperately trying to free himself.  
  
After Liam gets over his shock, he edges around the hole and runs to Scott. Morrell stands there, with a small smile on her face, watching Theo struggle.  
  
  
  
Theo turns, full of dread, looking back at the hole to see what Tara looks like now. He's fighting to break free when a wet, cold, body emerges from the fissure and climbs up Theo's body.  
  
She has a hole in her chest showing that she's missing her heart. Tara angrily glares at Theo through her wet and matted hair. She grabs his waist and a handful of his hair as she yanks his head back. "Hi, brother! Did you miss me? Stiles says karma is a bitch. Time to pay the piper, brother! _**I WANT MY HEART BACK!!"**_  
  
She screams a banshee's scream that's almost as piercing as Lydia's, exploding the windows in a shower of broken glass as she pulls him back towards the hole.  
  
Theo's clutching the edge and trying desperately to free himself, but it's useless. She's a dead weight pulling him down.  
  
Liam asks "Scott, what do we do?"  
  
Scott says "get back, don't do anything. Morrell! What's happening? Tara's dead! How is she here?"  
  
Morrell says "It's Stiles! He's doing it. I can't get near them because he's using and combining two elements of nature! I'm a druid not an elemental."  
  
  
  
Kira opens her eyes and says "do it." Lightning flows from her hand to her hip, amplifies and then jumps across the floor, electrifying the hole and zapping Theo, stunning him for a second.  
  
  
  
That's all it takes for Tara to pull him down into the floor. The hole closes, and the lights turn back on. They look around, and aside from a couple of scorch marks on the floor and shattered windows; there's no evidence that anything strange just happened.  
  
That's when Morrell finally walks over to Scott, squats down, and helps him up.

  
Liam picks up Kira and sits her in a chair. She's still paralyzed, but she can focus on them.  
  
Dad says "you've gotten to be a very powerful witch."  
  
My eyes go back to normal, and I collapse into Peter's arms when he grabs me and keeps me from hitting the floor. I lay in his arms like a sack of concrete potatoes and moan out "fuuuccckkk! That took ... a lot out of me. Too much! "  



	21. Face Time

**MONDAY**   
**28 May 2012**

I realize I'm too weak to stand and that I'm falling towards the floor. I can't make my muscles work and brace for the impact when I feel Peter's warm hands grab me.   
  
He pulls me against his chest as he wraps his arms around me protectively. He starts to panic as he shouts "Stiles! Are you okay? This is worse than when you extended your geas around the other cabins. You can't be using this much magic. I can't lose you!"  
  
I swallow and say "I didn't know I was using that much energy. Not until after I stopped. It feels like I got hit by a truck, but I'm okay. It's as if I rode 20 miles on a bike and didn't realize how tired I was until I got off the thing and tried to walk again."  
  
The others gather around us as Peter pulls me in his lap on the couch as he snuffles at my neck. 

Malia says "I got the little runt on the phone, but he insisted on getting Lydia and Morrell first."  
  
On the screen we see Scott looking at the floor in confusion as he prods it with his foot. He then tries to get Kira's attention. She finally looks at him and says "someone or something tapped into my electricity. I felt it. They weren't malicious and were trying to help, so I let them. I told them to do it to stop Theo."  
  
Morrell examines the floor and says "that!" She motions to the floor. "That was Stiles. He's an Earth Witch. He needed two elements and someone that has a link to the world of the dead to create a portal into limbo. He called up Theo's dead sister to trap him there. No one can free Theo from there. Not unless they can combine the same two elements to open it again. I don't think that's going to happen."  
  
Scott coughs and asks "what's, an Earth Witch?"  
  
Liam asks "like superman's Phantom Zone?" Morrell hides a smile and nods.  
  
She says "an elemental is a Witch that has control of an element. With enough training or instinct, Stiles theoretically could create earthquakes or stop them. I've heard rumors that Stiles can grow any plant in existence, or even ones that are extinct, without seed or fertilizer." 

She sweeps up the ashes and dumps them in the trash bin. "What Stiles just did was done by instinct alone. He probably hurt himself pretty badly or weakened himself so much he's paralyzed. He needs training, before he kills himself doing this kind of magick. Not many _**full covens**_ of Witches can do what he just did _**alone**_."  
  
Lydia asks "how did he know to do this now or that Scott needed help?"  
  
  
  
Liam says "Malia called me and said Stiles said to get over here to save Scott and Kira. I insisted on getting you and Lydia first. I'm too little to be of much help alone against a Chimera."  
  
Morrell looks around and says "He must have a camera here, somewhere, and that's how he saw you need help. I don't know where it could be though."

  
  
Liam looks around and idly asks "is there a reason why the x-ray machine is on? I noticed the other night that it turned on right after we walked in."  
  
  
  
Lydia says "Danny confided to me that Stiles is the one that taught him how to hack into computers. Stiles is super intelligent with low self-esteem and an insatiable curiosity. I think he needed to see what's going on here, even though he's left." She slaps the back of Scott's head and adds "thanks to someone's big mouth, stupidity, and ego."  
  
Scott rubs the back of his head, looks at her and says "I know. I'm an idiot, and I fucked up. I'm doing what I can to learn from my stupid mistakes."  
  
Melissa says "it's about time he opened his eyes and learned something."  
  
Kira looks around at the others as she asks "so, he wanted to make sure he could still protect us? Even after he was kicked out? Well technically he was never pack." She looks at Scott and says "you said humans can't be pack."

Lydia says "Derek said packs need humans to keep stability and their humanity."

Scott sighs and looks down. "I didn't pay attention to that part. He did keep me stable."  
  
Liam puts his hands in his pockets and nervously says "Malia's with them. I think he was only concerned with stopping Theo. I'm not so sure he's worried about protecting us."  
  
Morrell says "with Theo gone and Deaton dead, you should be able to protect yourselves, now. The Dread Doctors haven't been seen in over a week, and they were using Deaton and Theo to get at you."  
  
Dad says "both packs should be safe and stable now. There are no active threats against Scott."  
  
Morrel has been examining the machine. "It's not an x-ray machine. It's a monitor with built-in cameras. I bet Stiles hacked into it and set it up to record whenever you got close to it. It's in the back of the shop where customers don't go, so that means you and your pack are the only ones that would get close to it. He's very resourceful. Lydia, did he show you any of his computer expertise?"

  
  
She smirks and says "a little. Well, I watched what he did and practiced. I'm not as good at it as Stiles and Danny. Let me see if I can find the program and get into it. Maybe I can create a feedback loop so we can Skype them." She types for a few minutes and says "It's a trojan or back door. I think ... I ... got it!"   
  
A second later a small screen appears on the upper right of my screen showing us sitting on the couch.   
  
Liam waves like a little kid.  
  
Scott says "hi mom, Malia, Sheriff, Peter ... " He steps forward to get a better look. "Stiles? Are you okay? Dude, you look worse than I feel."  
  
Peter clutches me tightly to his chest as I lean heavily on him.   
  
I weakly say "yeah ... just dead tired. I'd wave, but I can't move right now."   
  
Peter growls and pulls me even tighter into his arms and snuffles along my neck, worriedly.   
  
I say "Peter's a little protective right now. All of the threats Deaton set against you are now gone, so you should be okay."  
  
Morrell says "Stiles? I'm on my way out there to see you. I have my freedom now and can do what I want. You need someone to teach you how to not weaken yourself like that. Can you move at all."   
  
I try to turn my head, but all I accomplish is a very slight movement of my head. I sigh and heavily lean against Peter and say "not right now. I feel as if my body has turned into concrete."  
  
She says "that's because you used your element, Kira's, and Peter's ability to talk to the dead, _**all**_ at the _**same**_ time. Next time I'd suggest doing one at a time, like a relay race."  
  
I say "yep, got it. Don't plan on doing that, ever ever again." I moan out "That fucking hurt."  
  
Melissa's rubbing my arm and dad's holding my hand. Malia's leaning against Peter's side and stroking my hair with the occasional subtle snuffles along my side.  
  
I meekly say "if you're offering to teach me how not to feel like this, I'd greatly appreciate it."  
  
She says "I'll be there tomorrow."  
  
Lydia feigns indifference as she says "Stiles, you brat! You scored higher than I did on the exit exam. I planned on being valedictorian. Next time some snobby ass tells you not to talk to your friends, tell them to shut the hell up because we're your friends too!" She looks at Scott and says "no offense Scott."  
  
Scott says "none taken, I deserve that. I was an ass."  
  
I say "I left early enough in the year that you can easily get credits to get that title back. Unless it's too hard for you?" I smirk.  
  
She smirks back, haughtily flips her hair and says "I've already outscored you. I'll be stopping by to see you this summer."  
  
Malia whispers "her heart just jumped. She lied about her scores."  
  
I try to nod but can't so nod with my eyes and say "we can't wait."  
  
Peter says "you're all invited to visit, ... and apologize."  
  
They smile at that. It's so typically Peter.  
  
A sudden wave of desperate lethargy hits me. I look up at Peter, or as close as I can without moving and say "Peter? Don't get all weird or alarmed, but I'm going to sleep now." I close my eyes and am instantly asleep.  
  
Peter says "I'm putting him to bed. See you in the morning."  
  
I'm pretty sure they make plans to get us all together, to smooth our ruffled feathers and get back to being friends again.   
  
He carries me upstairs, strips me down to my undershorts and tucks us into bed. He holds me tight as I drift into an even more profound sleep.


	22. Dead Tired

**TUESDAY**  
**29 May 2012**

  
I open my eyes and see a lot of daylight. Too much sunlight. What the hell? I don't remember my alarm going off. Peter's side of the bed still feels warm. I hear him in the bathroom.

I roll over and look at the clock. It takes me a minute to focus enough to read the damn thing.

_**1 pm!!!** _

How the bloody hell is it 1 pm? Now that I'm awake I start to panic.

_**WORK!!! I have to get to work!** _

I was supposed to be there and patrolling by 9:30 am. 

I try to sit up and get hit by a wave of dizziness. When the room stops spinning I hop up to get out of bed and get ready for work, which I'm late for, which was a _**horrible**_ idea.

My traitorous legs wobble and give out on me, and I crash to the floor, landing on my knees and hands. My head is mere centimeters from the floor. At least my arms were strong enough to save my face.  
  
Peter's suddenly there, wrapping his warm arms around me, gently picking me up off the floor and cradling me in his arms as he snuffles at my neck.

I smell his worry. _**I**_ try to calm down so I can calm _**him**_ down. "I'm sorry. I panicked. I should've gone to work hours ago. I must have forgotten to turn on the alarm. I was trying to get ready for work, and my legs gave out. Why didn't you wake me?"

Peter says "you always turn the alarm on at 8:05. Five minutes after it goes off so that it's ready for the next day. You did set your alarm, and it did go off. It went off for half an hour, and you didn't move."

Malia says from the doorway "I tried to wake you also, but you wouldn't wake up. Mom checked you out and said you were okay, but suffering from exhaustion. John called in for you. I volunteered to go in for you, but Ranger Niksos told me to stay home with you. She was very understanding."

Peter sits us down on the bed as he squeezes me to his chest and strokes my back.

I say "I'm okay. I am exhausted. Someone hand me a phone so that I can talk to Ranger Niksos."

Malia hands me a phone, and I'm too tired to push the buttons. "Damn! Malia, can you dial this for me?"

She dials the number and then holds the phone next to my head. I sigh and when the secretary answers I ask to talk to Niksos.

When she comes on the phone, she asks "Stiles? Are you alright? Did you do something you shouldn't have done?"

I say "about that ..." I switch to Chaldean (the witches language) and explain everything that I did last night. I notice Peter and Malia looking at me oddly. When I finish, she says in English "little wolf, if you weren't my best friends grandson, I'd tan your hide. You know that was very dangerous. Can you move at all? How weak are you?"

I say "I know Celestria. I fucked up. I didn't think about it. I just acted on instinct. I'm sorry. Trust me, with as bad as I feel; I won't be doing that again. That Druidess from Beacon Hills is coming to help train me properly."

Peter whispers "Celestria?" I nod.

Niksos asks "Wilka? You haven't answered my question. How weak are you? Can you move?"

I say "I tried to get out of bed and fell on my face. I'm not as weak as last night, but I can't walk yet."

She sighs and says "I'll be there in 5 minutes with a little pick me up to get you on your feet. I don't like the idea that you can't defend yourself with a Druidess in our territories, even if you trust this one. I'll use your basement entrance. I take it you're still in your bedroom?"

I say "yes. Peter and Malia are protecting me." We hang up.

Peter says "your boss is a witch and one of the names on your list of people you depend on and your grandmother's best friend?"

I lean back into Peter and say "yeah. She's a Water Witch. Can you help me put some pants on, please?"

They laugh and help me get some pants on, which was a rather funny looking endeavor. It Reminded me of once or twice where dad was too drunk to take his shoes and jeans off before getting into bed, so I had to help him.

Once I'm buckled up, so to speak, I snuggle against Peter's warm chest, breathing in his scent. I love his wolfy scent, but it bothers me that he smells so worried. Malia curls around both of us.  
  
I sigh and look up at them as I say "I'm okay, I can sit up now, I'm just still overly tired and a little weak. You don't have to worry. Sometimes I hate being the weak human."  
   
Peter smiles and says "I guess we both need to calm down, little one. Your not the weak human. You never were."

Malia says "you're stronger than a lot of wolves I know. You may not heal as fast as we do but you are just as strong as we are and you are more determined and focused in a fight than most people I've seen. That includes Derek."

Peter says "I think the only fight he ever won was against Scott when he was freshly bit. Wait a minute. You know we're worried, is that because you smell it or you just suspect?"

I sigh and nod nervously. "I noticed a few months ago that when something happens to trigger my adrenaline, like falling flat on my face, it triggers the higher wolf senses, not so much the strength and agility, but the sight, smell and hearing are definitely online. I thought I imagined it until you told me the night blooming wolfsbane builds-up in the body."

Malia says "I thought that potion only gives you the vision, strength, and reflexes of werewolves."

Peter says "it builds up the effects of lycanthropy in the body. It also lowers your rejection possibility. The longer he takes it, the more it affects him. He's gotten to the point where he has the hearing and smell as well."  
  
I nod and ask "what about Morrell?"  
  
He says "she called a little while ago and she'll be here in the next hour or so."

Malia growls as she hears the basement door open.

I say "easy sis, that's our boss."

Celestria walks in and tut-tuts as she looks me over. She puts her hand on my chest and flows some of her magic water into me. I suddenly feel loads better. Still tired, but only a little. She says "that should be enough magic to get you by until yours rebuilds itself. You take the rest of the week off and rest, young man."

I smile fondly at her and say "yes ma'am. Thanks for the pick me up. I appreciate it."

Peter shakes her hand as he thanks her. She just tells him to take care of her adopted grandbaby and leaves.

Malia says "that's why you moved here. You already had someone here."

I say "I bought this cabin before Scott got bit. I always planned on moving here, just not this soon."

Peter smirks, kisses my forehead and asks "are you hungry, little one?"  
  
I say "not really." That's when my traitorous stomach growls loudly.  
  
He arches his brow and asks sardonically "really? Are you sure?"  
  
I blush and say "maybe a little."

Malia says "that sounds like more than a little. I'll go set the table." She bounces down the stairs.  
  
Peter stands up, picks me up like a fainting maiden. I wrap my arms around his neck and say "I don't know whether to be grateful that you're carrying me or embarrassed. I'm a little tired but should be able to walk now."  
  
He smiles and says "grateful is good. Use the bathroom and clean up and I'll take you downstairs and feed you. Protein will help you get your strength back faster. That's what weres do to speed our healing."  
  
  
  
I smile at him. I'm able to lean against the wall as he washes me in the shower. We exit the shower, he dries me off, carries me downstairs and sets me at the table.

Malia brings me a huge plate of scrambled eggs and sliced deer with some toast.  
  
I say "I'm not sure I can eat this much. Thanks, sis." I smile gratefully at her.  
  
I quickly eat every scrap of food on my plate and then lean back and rub my tummy as Malia giggles at me.  
  
Peter looks at me with concern. I blush and say "sorry. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I started eating."  
  
He lets me lean on him as I walk into the living room and get comfy in the middle of the couch where we can all cuddle as we watch TV.  



	23. Morrell

**TUESDAY**  
**29 May 2012**  
  
I look at the clock and see it's 2:30 pm. About 15 minutes later I feel someone cross my geas on a motorcycle. They immediately stop and walk over to my geas to investigate it. It's a Witch. No, it's a druid. My eyes glow white as I watch her. _**Her?** _ It _**is**_ a female. I'm not sure how I know, but I do.

  
  
Peter notices my eyes and the ozone smell of my magic and asks "What do you see?"  
  
I say "a woman on a motorcycle crossed my geas. When she triggered it, she noticed it, and now she's investigating it. A Druidess, wearing a helmet. I can't see her face."  
  
Malia says "It must be Morrell."

Peter ask "where is she?"  
  
I say "on the east side. On the dirt path by the boulder. The geas Northwest of it."  
  
Peter says "Malia? Stay with Stiles. I'll check it out." He runs out the back door.

I see when he nears her. He stays back and asks "who are you? Are you aware you're trespassing?"  
  
She takes her helmet off, and I see her face as she says "I believe you were expecting me." 

He nods and motions for her to precede him to the cabin.

I say "It's Morrell. Peter's escorting here."  
  
  
  
A short while later they walk into the cabin and come into the living room. I say "hi Morrell. Long time."

Peter curls protectively around me on the couch.  
  
Morrell nods. "How are you feeling, Stiles?"  
  
I grunt and say "tired, not as much as yesterday. I can almost walk on my own."  
  
Malia says "It's kind of you to come here to help Stiles."  
  
She nods acknowledgment but doesn't respond.  
  
I look at Malia. "Sis? Can you show her the open spare rooms and let her pick one?"  
  
She smiles, nods and says "sure brother. Not a problem." She grabs Morrell's bag and leads her upstairs.

  
A few minutes later they come down, and Malia takes up her spot next to me. Morrell sits on the chair across from us.  
  
Morrell asks "Stiles? The geas you have around your territory? Where did you learn to do that? Normally only a full Witch Coven can do that. I _**do**_ mean _**covens**_. A single Witch _**shouldn't**_ be able to do that, _**alone**_."  
  
I nervously pull Peter's arm closer to my stomach and say "When I was little, Gran stayed with us after she discovered she was dying. I was six or seven. She showed me how to do simple things to keep our Covenant safe."  
  
She holds up her hand to stop me and asks "covenant? That's the word she used?"  
  
I timidly say "yea."  
  
She asks "you know what you are, don't you? Why you can use other elements as well as your own! Why you're casting spells that require a full coven! Why you're using geas made of three runes combined in a glyph! That takes true power to do!"

  
I blush and say "I _**was**_ an elemental. I absorbed some of the _**Nogitsune's**_ magic when it was in my body. We were _**still** _ connected when he died. I fainted when some of his energy jumped from him to me, like lightning. He was chaos. Chaos is all elements and none."

She says "chaos makes use of the elements it comes in contact with, but can only manipulate what is already there. You took the Nogitsune's ability to use other elements."

Peter thoughtfully nods. "I suspected you took more than his knowledge."  
  
She asks "What simple things did your Gran show you, Stiles?"  
  
I shrug. "Geas, runes, psychometry, and how to use healing herbs. I mastered all of that. I was too terrified of dying to master teleportation, until I died. I recently perfected that as well.

Morrell says "I didn't realize you came from Azazel's Bloodline. Your geas are powerful and intricate. I'd never have thought to combine those three. How much information do you get from them?"  
  
Malia asks "who's Aza zel?"  
  
Peter says "Azazel. One word. A Nephelium or angel. It was said he mated with humans and was kicked out of heaven when he wanted humans to have freedom, magick, and knowledge. Chaldeans say he's the father of witchcraft. His children were elementals. He gave magick to any human that sold their soul to him. The covens are jealous of the covenants because their souls are intact."  
  
Morrell says "You didn't answer my question. Your geas? How much can you see and how much did it drain you to make them?"  
  
I say "when I'm in the circle of my geas, it's like I'm at an open window. I can see, smell, hear and feel everything. If I'm across town and an intruder triggers them, I can feel the shadows of their actions, if I look. I can't find out after the fact though. Peter was right about that. If I'm unconscious, I'm not aware so that anyone can do anything, and I wouldn't know."  
  
Peter squeezes me protectively as he says "it severely drained him when he expanded the circle. I was apprehensive about his safety after he made 20 in a row. I could see how much it took out of him."  
  
Malia says "that's why you were so tired when we first moved here? Damn!"  
  
Morrell says with an open mouth "Wait! Did you say he made more than 20? In a row? It's supposed to be impossible to make more than 6-8 in a row for an entire coven, even with making them at sunrise."  
  
I say "twenty-four is my limit and it exhausts me so badly that I sleep more than 24 hours."

I look at Peter. "I promised Peter I'll confine myself to no more than ten in a day."  
  
Malia asks "if you can do all of those things, why didn't you use any of it or tell us about it?"  
  
I say "I did use it, covertly. I reminded everyone about the spiral that Ennis left at the Foundry, before Jennifer showed it to them to let them know where she was? I was protecting myself. I promised mom I would. She didn't have time to teach me how to use spells, potions or glamours."  
  
Morrell says "your mother didn't die of cancer, did she? That's not possible with your bloodline."

  
I say "no. Hunters shot her, she thought she got away, but they used poisoned bullets."  
   
Peter looks at me in surprise. "Hunters? Does your dad know? Wait. Of course, he knows. The wedding ring he wears has an anti-glamour spell on it."  
  
I look down and slowly say "he talked the doctor into hiding they poisoned her with mistletoe, monkshood, belladonna, and mercury. He hoped if everyone thought she died of cancer, then the hunters wouldn't realize she was the Witch that got away. He was protecting me."  
  
I look at Malia and ask "remember when Deaton drowned us?"  
  
Malia cautiously says "yeah."  
  
I say "did you notice my ice bath had herbs in it while the other two didn't?  
  
She nods thoughtfully and says "yea. I thought that was because you were human."  
  
I say "Allison was also human. Those herbs limited my magic and weakened my mind so the Nogitsune could possess me."  
  
I look at Morrell, Peter, and Malia. "After the Nogitsune, I've been teaching myself how to do magick from what I remember watching my mom and gran did. I also read their books and grimoire. I made several deals with Witches and covens along the way. I haven't found any other Earth Witches to teach me my element. I know a Water Witch and a Weather Witch, but each element is different."  
  
I look at Morrell and say "Melissa wants to learn healing-magic and herbs. I feel she has an ability with it. I said I'd teach her the herbs and I'd find a Witch that knows more than I do about healing magick to help her. Would you mind showing her as well as me? She wants to learn magick before she says anything about learning. She doesn't care if anyone knows she wants to learn healing herbs, though."  
  
Morrell says "of course. She's a very responsible and good-natured woman."  
  
Pete asks "so it sounds like you have a powerful arcane bloodline but are clueless on how to use most of it. You don't know enough to protect yourself."

Malia asks "you can teleport?"  
  
I nod slowly. "I started doing small jumps, like a straight line of sight, when I was five. I was afraid I'd wind up in the middle of a wall if I moved too far. It took dying to lose the fear of death. Go figure."  
  
  
**LATER**  
I'm feeling almost 100% better by supper time. Marin joins Peter and me in the kitchen as we make supper. She smiles and says "God this feels nice and homey. I didn't realize how much I miss the family feeling."  
  
Malia says "I love it also. I didn't get a lot of this before Stiles started looking after me." She finishes setting the table and sits at the counter to talk with us.  
  
We talk about schooling and career choices. Marin's impressed when I mention wanting to be a nurse.  
  
Dad and mom arrive as we set the table. They wash up and join us for dinner.  
  
We all talk about everything under the sun as we eat. I say "Malia? Would you like to invite Marco to supper next week? He might like to get to know everyone better here than out in public."  
  
She says "really? Can I? It's not a problem?"  
  
Peter says "it's no problem."  
  
Morrell asks "you have a suitor? That's great! I can't _**wait**_ to meet him."  
  
She hugs me and says "I'll ask him to come over this weekend. Oh, wait. Monday might be better."

Peter says "actually, I plan on spending all of Saturday with Stiles. Going out on a date then is perfectly acceptable. That gives me more alone time with my little one."

Malia smiles happily.


	24. Dad's Big Announcement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's late. I got distracted by class.

**WEDNESDAY**  
**30 May 2012**  
  
I come home from work to find Melissa and Morrell reading magic books in my library upstairs. I chuckle as I see Peter curled up in the corner reading _'T_ _he White Company_.' He immediately closes his book and seductively stalks over to me for hugs and scenting.

"I take it you missed me."

He snorts and tucks his nose behind my ear as he says "you have no idea, little one."  
  
I see that Morrell is impressed with the books I've acquired for my research. I hide my smile that she thinks this is my best magick books. These are my expensive more _**normal**_ books.

The more dangerous and _**harder**_ to find books on magick and supernatural creatures are in the basement with my magick supplies. That includes grimoires I've collected from various sources. I'm sure she suspects I have a Witch's Den because of my geas and herbs, but I'm sure she wants to earn my trust more before she asks to see it.

Both Morrell and Melissa are reading some older grimoires. I chuckle as I see them trying out small spells like telekinesis, small glamours, lighting candles and changing colors of the flames.

I chuckle as I think of them as M & M's.  
  
Morrell about gets whiplash when Melissa asks "what's a magic ... magick missile? Is there such a thing as that? It sounds a bit like stuff from Dungeons and Dragons."  
  
I say "yes, it's a thing, so are the energy shields and cantrips listed in that book. That's a battle magic book. It's a primer and not the more deadly stuff. Yeah, that stuff is real."

Alexi mastered that stuff. I'm still working on it. I think about Alexi, and I used that magic to face a darach about a month ago. I was the shield while he was the weapon. We worked in perfect tandem. I liked that feeling of connection with him when we worked magick together.

  
I see Morrell's brow arch. Is she impressed by either the books or that I can use magic shields? She asks "did you master these things, Stiles?"  
  
I stiffen up in nervousness. "I'm still working on it. I can shield myself" and another "if I have the time to concentrate and the energy available. My ability to use magick missiles is a hit or miss. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't, but I'm not vicious enough to use such things on anyone that's not a cold-blooded killer. Now my cousin can use telekinesis to crush someone's heart. I've heard it looks like a heart attack if you examine the heart afterward."  
  
My phone rings with the [_COPS_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUjUz_QEh48) theme song, and I answer it without a second thought. "Hey, dad. What's up?"

Dad says "Stiles? After I found out Alexi's your cousin, I called him up and invited him to dinner. He happened to be in the local area already. It turns out he's in the process of relocating to Fresno. It's closer and a large enough city that no one will question a Russian Mafia Don moving there. He says he'd be honored to come to dinner. Tonight!"

My jaw drops open. Tonight? _**TONIGHT!! CRAP!**_ I wasn't expecting him to stop by for another couple of months. _**Damn it!**_ I think _'gee, thanks, dad!'_

Peter looks at me oddly as I calm myself down. "Yeah, dad. This town's a little too small for him to go unnoticed. Umm. Is it going to be a little weird for you to be eating dinner with a mafia guy? Are you sure you want to have dinner with Alexi? He's a bit ... umm ... unorthodox and overprotective. Russians believe _**family**_ is more _**important**_ than God! At least they do in the area of Poland and Russia that we come from."  
  
Dad says "Russian Mafia. That's _**not**_ the same as the _**mo** **b**_. In Russia, the mafia protects the people like the police do here while the government exploits everyone as our wiseguys do. I think of him as a protector of the people _**and**_ your cousin. To me, he's _**only**_ your cousin."

Alexi

  
  
I smile and say "that's great. You'll love Alexi. Don't mention the Argents returned to Beacon Hills. It was Gerard that killed mom's family. Alexi might have had something to do with several Argent's deaths. That can't be proven, but I know him."  
  
I think for a minute and say "I'll make traditional Russian foods. Blinis with Smoked Salmon and Russian Beef Stroganoff only made with deer. He _**loves**_ deer."  
  
  
  
Dad says "that sounds ... umm ... interesting."  
  
I hang up and say "he _**especially**_ loves deer he got to _**hunt**_ on the full moon."  
  
Morrell looks up in surprise. "He's a _**werewolf**_?"  
  
I look up and say "no. He _**chose**_ to be a _**coyote**_. If he was already in the process of relocating to Fresno, that means he wants to be close to me. I am going to be in so much trouble that they're going to bury me twice. Crap!"

Peter says "wait! What?"

Morrell says "that's an expression I haven't heard in a long time."

Melissa says "I think I heard my grandmother saying that. It means you've done something your familial protector doesn't know about and will not understand and could get violent towards outsiders or even some family members, if I remember correctly."

I sigh and say "Alexi is extremely dangerous and coyotes family bonds go way beyond anything you could ever understand and he's going to be pissed. Peter? I mentioned you to him, several times, in the last few years. I left out the fact that you're a werewolf and a Hale. The only saving grace here is that you're at war with Gerard and Kate."

Peter says "ah. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Malia says "coyotes _**aren't**_ pack animals. Corrine tried to _**kill**_ me."

Melissa says "that confuses me as well."  
  
Peter says "actually, they _**are!**_ They have stronger bonds with siblings than wolves do. Wolves have stronger bonds with parents."  
  
I rub my chin before twisting my hands together as I bite my lip, thinking about how to phrase this properly.

"Corrine had PTSD and postpartum depression. Talia's stole you from her within minutes after you were born. She didn't even get to hold you or name you. Talia did that. She combined the words mine and Talia to come up with Malia."

Peter says "that explains the similarity in name."

I nod. "It didn't help Corrinne's state of mind any either. In a wolf pack, only the Alphas are allowed to have children in a threatening or threatened environment, and they're pregnant for 8-9 months. Now, coyotes are only pregnant for 3-6 months, and any couple can breed because all the children are raised together, as siblings, whether they are or not."  
  
Morrell nods in realization. "That would give cousins a closer bond than most siblings have. That explains why Alexi seems intent on helping and protect you."  
  
I nod. I look at Malia and very calmly and slowly say "that's why I need you to _**stress**_ that you're now my _**sister**_. He needs to understand that dad and mom are adopting you, to make it official. You'll soon be Malia Stalinski. He needs to see that you _**are**_ , for all intents and purposes, my big _**sister**_."  
  
Malia smiles. "No problems there. You _**are**_ my little brother now."

  
  
Peter contemplates what I want and says "so, that would make _**her**_ part of _**his**_ pack since _**he's**_ your cousin or pack brother. He _**should**_ accept me because I'm _**your**_ _**mate**_."  
  
I smile and say "that's what I'm hoping. I just hadn't expected Alexi to visit this soon. I was hoping it wouldn't be for at least another few months ..." I wrap my arms around his neck and lean on his shoulder as I look up at him ... "so that we could _**cement**_ our relationship. I don't want him to try and separate us."

Malia asks "he wouldn't try to do that, would he?"

Morrell says "theoretically, if a coyote thinks a wolf is encroaching on their territory or taking advantage of their family, they could try to kill the intruder."

Peter says "Oh. That could be a problem. He's your cousin, and I'll follow your lead on how to get through to him that I'm just as invested in your protection and well being as he is."

I smile shyly. "Thanks, Peter. We have to be very careful in how we approach him on our relationship."

I go downstairs, followed closely by Peter and Malia. I put my phone on the counter and begin supper. The three of us discuss coyotes and family and Alexi while we cook.

I silently wonder why parents always have to meddle in things.


	25. Getting Ready for Alexi

**WEDNESDAY EVENING**  
**30 May 2012**  
  
Morrell and mom are in the greenhouse talking about healing plants and herbs. 

Peter is helping me finish dinner preparations as Malia sets the table. 

Dad is upstairs taking a shower.

  
Morrell and mom walk in and sit at the counter, talking, while I clean up some of the mess. My phone chimes and I  pull it to my hand with telekinesis.

Everyone gapes at me, and I nervously smile when I realize what I just did. "Sorry. I suppose I got used to using my abilities here. I'll try not to do that again."

Peter says "it doesn't bother us. We forget that there's more to you than meets the eye."

It's a picture, a text, and a picture from ... Danny in London.

I download the pictures and am a little confused.

I arch my brow in confusion as I ask "Peter? How well do you know Jackson and should I be jealous of him?"

He looks at me oddly as I read the text from Danny to myself, hoping it will explain the first picture. The message says "Hey Stiles, buddy. I was snooping on Jax phone and found these pics. I know how much you loved to drool over the trapezius' of this guy, and knew you'd love them. Love Danny. P.S. Don't tell Jax I went through his phone."

I then laugh, because one, it looks staged and two, it's kind of cute. 

Peter seems embarrassed and nervous about his relationship with Jackson or that I'm asking him about it.

He says "after the whole kanima troubles I spent some time with the guy to show him that we're still people. He's a spoiled brat. Um, why do you ask?"

I open the second picture, and I think I do drool as I set it as my lock screen. I then send both images to my email for safe keeping.

  
I send the reply back to Danny. "Thanks, buddy. I love them! I have a new lock screen!"

Dad's trying to hide a small smirk as I look at my phone again before looking back at the others.

I mischievously smile at Peter as I ask "Danny found some _**interesting**_ pictures of you and Jackson on his phone and sent them to me. Have you ever lost a few _**tennis**_ matches to Jackson?"

He jumps forward and tries to get my phone. 

Malia says "you haven't even seen them. How do you know they're bad?"

I try to keep it out of his reach, but it doesn't work for long. "Aww, Peter. They're kind of _**cute.**_ "

He says " _ **no, no, no!**_ I'm deleting those! Why the heck does he even have those?"  
  
He growls and says "they came from Jackson! That says it right there."  
  
I say "Danny sent them, not Jackson. So these must be the good ones. I'll have to ask him about the _**ones**_ you're so _**worried**_ I'll see. The second one does look like _**you**_ were throwing a _**tantrum**_ that you _**lost.**_ "  
  
Peter huffs and says "that self-entitled brat cheats! He threw a tantrum because he was loosing, so I threw the game so the poor baby wouldn't cry. I then had to act all broken up that I lost or he wouldn't think it was real. You don't honestly think I'd look like that because I _**lost**_ a _**game**_ of tennis."  
  
Malia says "aww. That is _**so**_ cute. Uncle Peter is fuzzy on the inside too." Dad chuckles, and Melissa hides her smile behind her coffee mug.

  
  
Peter growls and says "I am not! I just didn't want to see him cry!"  
  
I smile and say "no, that's why it's so cute. We know you'd never lose or throw a tantrum like this. It looks staged."  
  
I feel someone close and familiar cross my geas, and I look towards the road with trepidation. He's early! Damn! He ran here! He didn't even bother to drive! " _ **Crap!**_ Alexi's here! Try not to get into a fight with him, anybody, _**please!"**_

  
  
I don't get a response from anyone. So I roll my eyes and rush out the door, so I can try to head off _**any** _ conflicts at the pass.  
  
I meet Alexi as he steps out of the shadows approximately 75 yards from the driveway. I know that he'll act like he didn't want to attract attention by driving here, but I suspect he wanted to get here before I could hide anything that I wouldn't want him to find out about or discover.

I toss him a pair of his pants. He smoothly pulls them on, and I put on my best fake-smile that isn't apparently a phony smile. 

He adjusts his pants and smiles at me. I always wonder how I lucked out on being related to a guy with the body of a Greek God. 

I hear Morrell mutter "good God is he ripped!"

I open my arms for the mandatory Polock family bear-hug greeting and cheerfully or forced happily say "Alexi! How good of you to come to dinner. We always have a place for you here."  
  
He smiles and says "Wilka! My favorite cousin! Long time, no see! Well, maybe not so long. It's been longer than I like to go without seeing you."  
  
We hug, Russian Style. Alexi sniffs my neck and frowns. "You have wolf smell all over you!"  
  
I nervously run my fingers through my hair as I try to explain without starting a war. "Yea, about that. I can explain."  
  
That's when the others come out of the house and move to approach us.  
  
Alexi immediately picks up Peter's wolf smell and instantly gets angry. His eyes go red, and his fangs and claws extend. _**"You**_ take advantage of _**my**_ kin!"  
  
I nervously look back and forth between them.

Peter wisely holds his hands up, showing he's not a threat and holds his ground, proving he's not afraid or weak. Smart move Peter! At least he's using his brain and his instincts to try _**not**_ to start a war with my family.

Alexi takes a step forward. My adrenaline kicks in my wolf sense of highers olfactory input and I smell his rage. I have to stop this! I can't take sides, but I can't allow them to kill each other either. _**  
**_

I instinctually yell ** _"Crap!"_ ** I teleport between the two of them, hold my hand up, and call up a thick wall of stone, about three feet in front of Peter.

  
The wall rises from the ground a split second before Alexi rams into it. There's a loud crack noise from the impact and dust flies into the air before he lands on his ass.  
  
He glares up with glowing red eyes and fully extended claws. He gracefully gets up in a line backer's crouch as he's deciding on going _**around**_ the wall or _**over**_ it.  
  
I teleport next to Alexi, placing my hand on his chest, and say in Russian "that's Peter, my _**mate**_. He's the one I needed your help to break out of Deaton's holding pin. Yes. He's an Alpha wolf, but he's my mate. He hasn't even kissed me yet because he wants to turn me when he claims me and doesn't want to hurt me in the process. I _**love**_ him, and he loves me. _**Gerard**_ and Kate Argent _**killed**_ his family and badly hurt _**him!"**_  
  
Alexi places his hand over mine and nods as he slides out of his offensive pose.  
  
I lower my stone wall back into the ground, and he offers his hand to Peter, which he shakes with a considerable amount of enthusiasm. "I'm sorry. I'm protective of my cousin. I didn't know you're _**the**_ Peter he's talked so highly of, which is rare. He _**never**_ said you're a wolf. He has mentioned you helped fight Gerard. I hear that bastard hurt Wilka."  
  
Malia looks back and forth between Peter and Alexi and tentatively asks "so does this mean we're friends now?"  
  
He holds a hand out to her and says "you _**must**_ be Malia. His coyote sister he found in the house of echoes. That makes you _**my**_ sister as well. I've always wanted a coyote sister."  
  
He picks her up and bear-hugs her as she lets out a little-surprised squeak. He shouts "Yes! We family now!"  
  
Dad holds out a hand to Alexi to shake and says "Alexi! I'm glad you could make it to dinner. We're still eating on the deer Peter brought Stiles. If you don't mind deer as the main ingredient, we have a Russian meal for you inside. Are you ready to eat?"  
  
He smiles and looks side-eyed at Peter as he answers dad. "Peter provides for his mate? Good! Yes, let's eat! I'm starving! It's a long run from Fresno to here."

Peter goes with sarcasm and says "so, if everyone is officially freaked out, can we go eat now?"

 


	26. Dinner with Family

**WEDNESDAY  30 May 2012**  
  
At the table, Alexi takes the chair next to me. Peter's spot. He thinks about saying something about it, but Alexi growls at him.  
  
I try to keep the peace as usual. "Alexi's like my big brother, similar to you and Derek. I know you like to sit next to me, but can I ask you to switch places with dad or sit across from me so that you and Alexi can see more eye to eye."  
  
Peter nods. "I'll sit across from you so that I can look at the people I know I'm going to be talking to more." He smiles and says "don't worry Little One. I don't intend to start any fights or wars with your kin since I would like us to be one big _**pack**_ of friends and family. Any family of yours is _**my**_ family as well."  
  
Alexi says "I like this wolf. He's wise for someone of our years." 

Dad looks oddly at him with a cocked head. He must think Alexi's older than he is. He probably thinks Peter's older as well. I never asked him about that.  
  
We finally sit down to eat, pass around the bowls of food, and dig in. It's quiet for a few minutes as everyone tries the meal and nods when they find that they like it.  
  
I breathe a sigh of relief. Russian food doesn't always go over well with American tastes.  
  
Peter says "I take it Wilka is his families nickname? Isn't that Polish for a wolf or little wolf? I thought you'd give him a Russian nickname or use his birth name of Wilkksiezycawyc."  
  
He laughs and says "yes. Wilka is Polish for a little wolf. His name isn't a proper Polish name. His mother took three Polish words and put them together. He was born on the wolf moon, and his mother heard a howl as he was born. Wilka is a little wolf, ksiezyc is the moon, and wycie is a howl. Well, literally, wilk ksiezyc means wolf of the moon, and she mixed up the letters of wycie to throw hunters for a loop."  
  
I smirk and say "he's been dying to break down my name for years."  
  
Peter asks "so his mom was your sister?"  
  
I snort into my glass and dad gives me an odd look.  
  
Alexi says "no. Our mothers were twin sisters. My mom got pregnant when she was 16, and his mom was 26 when she conceived. I'm only ten years older, so yes, I think of him as my little brother."  
  
I say "he's way more overprotective than your average big brother. That makes him only two years older than you, Peter."  
  
Melissa smiles at me as she takes a bite of the blini and asks "what is this that we're eating. This pinkish-orange cheese is delicious." 

  
Dad says "that's smoked salmon on blini bread. I remember Claudia made it once or twice for her mother when she stayed with us. I'm guessing this brown one is the beef stroganoff, only with deer, and made the Russian way, with pan-fried potatoes."  
  
Melissa knits her brows in curiosity. "If Claudia was Polish, how are you Russian?"  
  
Alexi laughs and says "I'm not." He drops the Russian accent and uses his Polish accent as he says "it's easier to be in the Russian mob when you at least look, sound, and act Russian." He then uses a California accent and says "but there are times when sounding foreign doesn't get me what I need."  
   
Dad sits there with his mouth open.  
  
Alexi adds "Wilka is better with the accents than I am. He speaks Russian with a Russian accent. My Russian has a slight accent showing I'm a foreigner."

I blush and duck my head.  
  
We talk and eat for another half hour before Alexi asks "Peter. I have to ask. Wilka says you're his mate, but you haven't kissed him yet. Why?"  
  
Peter blushes. "At first, because Brunski molested him in Eichen House and I don't want to do anything similar to what that bastard did to him. More recently, it's because I love him and I'm afraid that I won't be able to stop at a simple kiss, so I'm waiting until the moonflower is blooming, so I know I don't hurt him."  
  
Alexi's smile went tight, and he froze at the word **_molested_**.  
  
I sigh and drop my head into my hand as I set my elbow on the table. Crap! I don't like people thinking of me _ **that**_ way. I had hoped he wouldn't find out about that.    
  
I see him clench his teeth as he looks at me, and I sadly nod.  
  
Peter says "Oh. You didn't know about the orderly sexually and physically abusing him. That _**was**_ the reason he didn't want Malia in Eichen. He didn't want them to do anything to her."  
  
Morrell knits her brows together and leans forward as she says "I don't understand. Why would you tell me, or should I say order me, to convince John to get Stiles out of Eichen if you didn't know what they were doing to him?"  
  
Dad looks at her in surprise with a raised brow. "Wait. Hold the phone!" He points back and forth between Morrell and himself. "You told me that I needed to get Stiles out of that place because he was getting worse. It was hurting him more to be there than it was to be at home. How the hell does Alexi come into this whole thing?!"  
  
Alexi shrugs and looks down. "When I discovered you put him in an insane asylum, I used my rather formidable influence to do a surprise audit of the facility and check on my cousin. At my age, I had to have an older person from the organization with me. I needed to ensure he was okay. I didn't like the idea of him being in there alone."  
  
I'm trying to hide inside myself and vaguely feel when Alexi clasps his hand on my shoulder, and I look up at him and try to calm down and relax as dad pats my hand. Malia looks pretty pissed off.  
  
Alexi continues "I walk in there, and they made a point of not showing me the area where I knew he was. I forcibly told them that I needed to see every inch of the facility. The last area that I saw is where I found little Stiles."  
  
He hugs me and sighs. "My little cousin was curled up behind the bed, and he wasn't moving at all. He wasn't aware that I was there and he didn't respond when I called his name. When I touched him, he backed further into the corner, crying and saying no. I was worried."

He gives dad a hard look. I don't think he ever forgave my dad for putting me there.

He looks back at Morrell "I thought it was because his mom died and he was abandoned in that place. I didn't know they were hurting him, or there would have been more than a few sudden unexplained deaths. You don't fuck with kids, and you don't hurt my kin!"  
  
I put my other hand over my face.

Melissa says _**"BOYS!"** _

She grabs the pie and tries to divert the conversation to something safer. "Anyone want some pie? There's plenty more."  
  
Alexi grabs my shoulder and pulls me into a tight hug and says in Russian next to my ear "black roses, brother. Black roses."  
  
I nod. That means a blood oath. Alexi just vowed that with his last drop of blood he'd avenge me. Hopefully, dad doesn't understand the meaning of that phrase. I'd guess from the look on Peter's face that he does.  
  
Alexi smiles at Melissa and says "thank you. You're such a gracious hostess."  
  
  
  
He looks at Peter and says "we'll talk later."

That sounded like a promise. Alexi takes the pie and gets a slice as he smiles at me. "I see you mastered gran's recipes quite well. From the geas around the place, it's not the only thing you mastered. I haven't seen anyone conjure a stone wall since grandma's mother died. Earth elementals run in our family. I wish I got that from our side instead of the weather from my father's side. The weird thing is, it skipped him, and he didn't know his family was Weather Witch."  
  
Morrell says "a weather witch. That's nearly as rare. I've never seen one up close. Stiles says you chose to be a coyote. He didn't say how or explain that."  
  
He laughs and says "In my little Russian Cell, that's not cell as in a cage, by the way, I have an alliance with a werewolf, were-coyote, a werebear, and a gorgon. They all owe me and Wilka favors. Wolves are close to parents but not their siblings. Coyotes are closer to siblings than parents. Bears are loners. Gorgons are hermits that live in darkness."  
  
He pats my shoulder and says "Gerard killed my parents. All I have left is the son of my mother's sister. I wanted the closeness to him without the weakness to wolfsbane that the Argent's favor. Wolfsbane doesn't affect coyotes."  
  
Malia asks "Wait! It doesn't?"  
  
I smile as I shake my head.  
  
She says in surprise "Wow! I just thought I was lucky and none of the bullets that hit me had wolfsbane. It never dawned on me that it only affects werewolves."

I say "each species has a different weakness."

 

  
Peter says "it's getting kind of late. We wouldn't be acceptable hosts if we didn't offer you a room for the night. We have plenty of guest rooms."

  
I give Peter a sideways glance because I know he's up to something.

Alexi smiles and says "why yes, it _**is**_ getting late and Fresno's a long _**drive**_."  
  
I say "or _**run**_ , seeing as you arrived on foot."  
  
He smiles and says "run. I didn't want anyone _**noticing**_ my car coming here, for a visit. I'll take you up on the offer of a room."  
  
Peter smiles and pats his back. " _ **I'll**_ show you to our guestrooms before I help Stiles with the dishes."  
  
I narrow my eyes and shake my head as he leads Alexi upstairs.  
  
I begin picking up the dirty dishes to wash. The good thing about weres is you don't have to scrape the plates. They don't lick the plates, but they don't leave anything on them either.  
  
Dad says "hey, is there anything I would want to know about?"  
  
  
I think and say "no dad, there's _**nothing**_ that you would _**want**_ to know."  
  
He grimaces and starts drying the dishes.

Malia whispers in my ear "what did he say to you?"

I look at her and say "black roses, and no, you don't want to know what that means."

She nods and helps Melissa put away what little bit of food is left over.


	27. Alexi Learns More

 

**WEDNESDAY,  30 May 2012**

  
By the time Peter and Alexi come back downstairs, we have all of the dishes washed and put away.   
  
I tell Peter to set up _'Burn Notice'_ as I make popcorn to munch. 

Alexi comes into the kitchen area to help me bring the two bowls of my recipe _'maple popcorn'_ and _'parmesan popcorn'_ into the living room.

I don't realize until too late that my sleeves are still pushed up from washing dishes.

Alexi spots the scars on my wrists. 

I look down at what's got his attention and see my scars. I think 'Oh Crap!' I try to slide my sleeves back down, nonchalantly, but I can see he's not going to let me get away with that.

He grabs my wrist to get a better look at the scars and examines the skin exposed from my long sleeves. "Stiles? braciszek? (baby brother in Polish) Who did this?"  
  
I say " _ **those**_ are from Gerard." I'm hoping that since we killed the bastard, he's going to let it drop.  
  
Peter takes the bottles of water from the counter to pass around and says "maybe those are, but the ones on his shoulder, side, and back are from Eichen House."  
  
I tighten my jaw and sigh. I look at Peter. He's _**too**_ damn helpful. 

He gives me a look saying that Alexi needs to know everything. 

I sigh. Peter's right. I don't want to keep secrets from my family.  
  
Alexi crosses his arms and looks at me. Waiting.

  
  
I sigh and say "fine."   
  
I give the popcorn to Peter and say "thanks, Peter. I guess Alexi and I need to talk about history with a little  _ **'show and tell'**_ thrown in. We'll be back in a few minutes."

Alexi says "or longer. Don't wait for us. Stiles and I have watched most of that show.

  
  
Alexi and I go to his room, where he ensures he doesn't close the door all the way, and I remove my shirt. That means the Soundproof Spell won't keep the shapeshifters from overhearing us. He purposely wants Peter and Malia to hear what we have to say. He probably plans on asking them if I left anything out. The thing is, there's a lot they don't know.  
  
I spent years wearing long sleeve, oversized shirts to hide my scars. I got good at dodging and avoiding letting anyone see me without a shirt, even Alexi.  
  
He looks at my scars. He points to each one and asks how I got each one. I can't lie to Alexi or avoid answering. I'm also acutely aware that Malia and Peter are listening to us.

  
  
I know that he's cataloging every single injury I got in Eichen House. He's a proponent of _'let the punishment match the crime.'_ Once we go over all of the physical abuse, he asks me to tell him about the sexual abuse. I've distanced myself from those memories. I told myself that happened to someone else, my imaginary friend. I explain to him how I've lived with it and he nods.  
  
Alexi says "I know brother, that telling me what he did to you has got to be hard, but I need to know and you need to realize that you did nothing wrong. You were a child. An innocent little child that had your innocence and your trust of other people ripped away from you. He is the monster."  
  
I cry silent tears as he says "I know that you sometimes think that we are the monsters because of the things that we've done, but we did it to help others. We protected people that were too weak to defend themselves. That bastard did it only to hurt you and all the other little kids he hurt. We both know that you weren't the only one he did this to."  
  
He hugs me and says "that's how monster gets away with it. They convince the kids that they are the bad ones or that it's their fault so that they won't tell anyone or seek to get help."  
  
I sigh. "Peter said the same thing when he saw the video from where Harris tried to rape me, and I fought back. He told me I didn't do anything wrong. It was entirely on him and not me."  
  
He smiles and says "I like Peter more and more. He loves you and wants you protected and happy. You're my little brother, and I want you protected and safe. I always ensured that you weren't the one to kill when we worked on jobs that we knew involve a kill."  
  
I smile "I know brother." I scoff "I still laugh when I remember the face of that FBI guy when I shot the mug out of his hand."  
  
  
  
Alexi laughs "you did that from a mile away, with a rifle. I greatly enjoyed them rethinking their idea to arrest me on mere suspicion. I did warn them that my little brother's a master sniper."  
  
An hour later we go downstairs to join the others watching TV.

Alexi has his arm around my shoulder as we walk into the living room. I stop and look at a nervous Melissa and dad staring at a stiff Malia and Peter. I notice that there are a couple of pieces of broken mugs near Malia and Peter.  
  
They both smile nervously, and Peter says "I need to go into town tomorrow and buy some more mugs. Mine seems to have broken."  
  
Malia says "yeah, mine as well. They seemed to have simply shattered. For no reason." I don't have to hear her heartbeat to know that's not true.   
  
I look at Alexi and say "maybe you should have closed the door all the way. My soundproofing spell doesn't work very well when the door is open."  
  
Alexi shrugs and says " _ **Gran's**_ Soundproof Spell. She taught the entire family, seeing as it's a family legacy. Like her moonflower or should I say Nightblooming Wolfsbane."  
  
Morrell chokes on her water. "It exists! It's real! You have some!"  
  
I tighten my jaw and sigh. "Yeah, it's real, and I have some. Let's watch TV for a little while and then get some sleep. Half of us have work tomorrow. Well, that was before my boss gave me the week off."  
  
Alexi nods and says "I love it when a plan comes together" in a perfect Hannibal Smith impersonation.  
  
  
  
Dad smiles as he says "you know the A-Team?"  
  
Alexi pats my shoulder fondly and says "Stiles got me into it a long time ago. He liked that Face was also on Battlestar Galactica. I think Face and Adama were his favorite characters."  
  
I smile that he remembers.  
  
Peter says "I can see that. Adama was the perfect father figure to everyone, not just Apollo, and Face was the go-to guy that could talk anyone out of anything with just the right amount of flattery and cunning."

  
  
Dad says "as I recall face was also pretty tough and could take a lot. He also kept the peace between Murdock and B.A. He reminds me of Stiles in a way."  
  
We watch TV for a couple of hours until Peter and Malia get up to run the perimeter.   
  
Alexi joins them so he can see what my territory encompasses.


	28. Do Alexi's Plan Affect Us?

**WEDNESDAY,  30 May 2012**

  
When they come back, Peter and Alexi drive into town to get more stoneware mugs.  
  
Dad casually says "do I need to be worried that something might happen to Brunski in jail? I know Alexi has a _**very**_ long reach and he's protective of you, obviously a lot more than I thought. Black Roses is an odd thing to say."

  
  
He rubs his chin as he says "you know, I remember your mom telling me this story of the Russian mafia. A Don's son was molested, and he couldn't live with the way people treated him afterward. Like he was made of porcelain, or they avoided him, so he killed himself."

  
  
Dad still looks lost in thought as he tries to remember the details of the story. "At the funeral, the Don cuts his hand and spreads his blood over the roses, turning them black as he makes a blood oath to avenge the wrong done to his kin. That wouldn't be the black roses he meant, would it? A vendetta or blood oath?"  
  
I take a deep breath and say "all stories have a grain of truth in it. You know all about Russian Mafia because you researched it when you found out about Alexi."  
  
Melissa says "I get the feeling that he'll hunt Gerard even harder to make him pay for what he did to you as well."  
  
I nod because I don't want to admit that I already killed Gerard or that Alexi helped me get rid of his body. Alexi dismembered him and sent some of his body parts to several shifter packs for confirmation that he's dead to elicit favors from their Alphas.  
  
Dad says "I know that I should warn Parrish about Alexi's possible interest in Brunski, but ..."  
  
Mom looks at him worriedly.    
  
Malia says "we're not in Beacon Hills. Frankly, the bastard deserves his fate. Let him pay the piper for what he did. God knows how many little kids he's hurt over the years. I hope he burns in hell. To tell you the truth, I'd like to be the one that sends him there, but we live here now. This ...." She gestures around the room "this is our home, and Beacon Hills can survive on its own without us or our involvement in its politics."  
  
Morrell says "she's right. We live in this town now. Beacon Hills can take care of its self. We're moving on with our lives, and I'm not going to go running back every time there is some threat, real or imagined."  
  
Mom hugs Malia and maternally kisses her forehead. "I take it that whatever you and Peter overheard Alexi and Stiles say is bad enough that you feel that whatever happens is justified?"  
  
Malia says "the bastard needs to be castrated. I personally want to hang him with his own entrails."

Melissa asks "what are your thoughts on Alexi's possible plans, John?"  
  
Dad sighs and says "one, I don't know for sure that Alexi would bother to kill him since he's already in prison, awaiting trial, as a serial killer. Brunski molested the Prosecutor's son and is trying to get the death penalty."  
  
He looks at me. "Two, I can't say I don't feel the same way or that I don't want to kill him myself. Frankly, Brunski is a pedophile and a mass murder. If that's his fate, I'm not going to save him. I can't say that there is anything in him worth saving. I'm not Scott, and I know life isn't black or white. There is a lot of gray in life."  
  
Melissa says "it _**is**_ already proven, confessed and documented. It might save the city on the cost of a trial, lawyers, and his jail time. I'm not saying it is safer for anyone at the prison if they aren't on the lookout. I'm not a vigilante, but I'm not superman either. Some people deserve the fate they earned."  
  
Melissa kisses dad and goes up to bed.  
  
  
  
  
**45 minutes later**  
Peter and Alexi walk back in. Alexi smells of ozone. I know that's the smell of magic. Peter must have asked him to cast a spell or two.  
  
Alexi says "I like your hot spring."

  
  
I nod in understanding. Peter brought him to my moonflower, and possibly got him to maybe soundproof my cave? I actually shouldn't be able to smell the magical energy smell. I haven't taken my potion lately.  
  
Alexi says "I forgot to ask earlier. Did Celestria have anything to say about you moving near her territory? I know _**that**_ Water Witch was gran's best friend, but still, we elementals are protective of our turf. Especially against different elements."  
  
I smile and say "well, seeing as she's my boss, I don't think she has a problem with it."  
  
Dad chokes on his water. After he stops coughing, he says "our boss is a Water Witch? She was your grandmother's best friend? How did I not know this?"  
  
I nod. "I'm going to sleep now. I'll see everyone at breakfast."  
  
Dad leaves for his cabin while Malia stays in the living room to watch TV, supposedly.  
  
Peter walks into _**our**_ room, and Alexi asks "he sleeps with you? In your bed? You said he hadn't kissed you, but he sleeps with you? How does that work?"  
  
Peter arches a brow in a passive challenge and says "we stay clothed from the waist down."  
  
I nod defensively. "Peter keeps the nightmares away so I can sleep. He also ensures that I eat on a regular basis. You saw how much weight I lost when the Nogitsune possessed me. My PTSD causes me nightmares from that and a few other life and death things I've gone through."  
  
Malia looks up the stairs and helpfully says "by that, he means that he _**did**_ die during the Nogitsune chaos. Peter brought his body to Morrell, and they brought him back."  
  
Alexi grits his teeth and shifts his weight in agitation as he says "that's yet another thing you forgot to mention to me, Wilka. The Scale Rebalance Spell? Anyone killed by magic doesn't die a natural death and upsets the scales of balance. The essence of Gaia can be invoked to return the dead to the land of the living. I know that spell well."  
  
Morrell nods her head.

  
  
I say "I didn't mention most of the supernatural stuff that I was involved in or that happened because ... it hurt too much. I should've left Beacon Hill a long time ago. I should've known better than to trust someone that ignored me."

Malia says from the bottom of the stairs "Alexi. I wasn't going to go to bed yet. We can talk about it over some hot chocolate."

  
  
Peter and I go into our room while Alexi walks downstairs to talk with Malia.  
  
Morrell follows Malia and Alexi into the kitchen to catch up on all the shit that I didn't mention. Gerard. Kate. The Kanima. The Alpha Pack. The Darach. The Dead Pool. The Dread Doctors. Deaton. Theo. My head's starting to hurt just thinking about it.  
  
I have a feeling that I'm going to get a lot of in-depth questions tomorrow. He might wind up sticking around for another day. I shrug and don't let it stress me out, or try not to.  
  
When I come out of the shower, Peter's already in bed. "Don't worry, Little One. It was going to come out eventually. He should know everything that has happened in the last few years. Did you mention anything at all to him about the supernatural elements you've been dealing with, virtually alone?"  
  
I nervously nod as sit on the bed. "I told Alexi that a feral Alpha bit Scott while he was trying to refind his sanity. Scott never forgave the Alpha for becoming a werewolf. Scott used his True Alpha roar to force Malia back into a human, when she wasn't ready, and she wound up in Echo House. That's about it for supernatural stuff."  
  
I curl up on his chest and say "I did mention that I like and possibly love this gorgeous older guy with fantastic trapezius muscles that might have had something to do with the animal attacks he saw in the paper. Deaton locked him up in Eichen House to keep him under control and to get control of his land in the preserve."  
  
Peter chuckles as he wraps his arms around my back and waist. "I wasn't sure or not if you like my trapezius muscles, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to wear V-neck sweaters to show them off for you."  
  
I enthusiastically nod as I ask "you knew all along that I was staring at these ..." I gently stroke the muscles on the left side of his neck ... "gorgeous muscles?"  
  
He chuckles as he kisses my forehead and rolls us onto our side so he can move me around to spoon me to sleep. I always fall asleep pretty quick in that position. I love having his big strong arms around me. It makes me feel safer than I have in a long time.


	29. Alexi Learns More About Scott

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a really long chapter.
> 
> I had this chapter Beta'd by Nineorfour. Give her a hand.

**WEDNESDAY,  30 May 2012**

I'm just about dropping off to sleep when Alexi hops onto our bed.

Peter jerks up with red eyes blazing and I pop up with "what the hell? Alexi! That's not the way to wake up someone curled up in an Alpha's arms."

Peter says "especially when that Alpha's their mate and protective of them. What do you want Alexi?"

Alexi closes the door with his telekinesis and says "I have a proposal for you, cousin."

I give him my _'you have to be kidding'_ face.

He smirks and says "you and Peter let me look through your memories of everything that happened with Scott, _**or**_ I can go kill him for the sake of protecting my kin. Your choice."

I lean back against Peter and give him a half cocked smile. That's my sneaky brother that I know and love. I was wondering when he was going to come out and ask me to show him what happened.

Peter looks at my smile and leans back "what's going on? Why would that proposal amuse you?"

Alexi smiles evilly. "I'm the Left Hand of our family, and Stiles helped me on more than one occasion. He knows I'll do anything to protect him, my only family left."

I nod "I was wondering when you'd take off the kids gloves and ask me straight out what truly happened and wanted proof as well. I know you."

I look at Peter. "If I say no, he goes and gets what he wants from another source, without the niceties. He's asking us both. What do you say?"

Peter thinks for a moment, smiles, and says "that means I can finally see everything from your perspective and find out how much was you and how much was that idiot? I'm in."

I nod. "I'm going to need my potion, so my neck heals before morning. I don't need dad thinking you attacked me in the middle of the night while I was asleep."

Peter gets my coconut water (read WMPM) from the stand next to the window and hands it to me. I take a sip and wait a minute for it to kick in.

I curl up in Peter's arms. "Okay, Alexi. Go for it."

Alexi lines up his claws with Peter and I and then slides them in.

He has me relive everything with Scott from the time we first met.

When I get to the night Peter bit Scott, Peter's mind joins mine. I can't see them standing next to me, but I can feel it just as if I could see them.

 

When the herd of deer nearly trample Scott, I say "I take it that's your memory Peter?"  
  
  
Peter says "yes. That's what I saw."  
===============================================================  
  
Alexi hones in on the conversation to find Scott's inhaler. He notices I immediately joked about werewolves and mentioned Friday was the full moon.  
  
Peter asks "you already knew? You knew before Scott?"  
  
I say "Alexi's a coyote. Shapeshifters weren't new to me."

===============================================================  
Scott attacked me because I tried to cancel his date with Allison on the full moon.

===============================================================

They both get angry.

I point out Scott wasn't aware of what was happening to him, and it was his first full moon.

Peter says "the full moon wasn't until _**much later**_ in the day. It wasn't affecting him as much as you think. That was _**all**_ him."  
  
===============================================================

 

  
**THE PARTY**

I rushed over to see if Derek brought Allison home and made excuses for Scott. I then searched for Scott and used my potion.

They note that I joked about sniffing him out when I found him. I noticed that I didn't like the smell of Scott's wolf very much.

===============================================================

Alexi asks "you sniffed him out? That means the potion allows you to smell like we do. That means it's built up in your body over a long time."

I scoff "how do you think I always manage to overhear dad's conversations in the other room?"

===============================================================

I got irritated when Scott only worried if Allison hated him or not. I told him to come up with an impressive apology and suggested he tell her he's a werewolf.

He didn't like that idea.

If she wanted him, it'd be because of who he was, not who he pretended to be.  
  
Scott later told me Ally's dad was Chris Argent, a hunter.

===============================================================  
I can feel both of them roll their eyes at that little gem.  
===============================================================

At practice, I rushed him off the field, and then dodged him until I could calm him down.

===============================================================  
They both growl that he attacked and tried to kill me.  
===============================================================  
  
  
We saw Peter observed the entire confrontation between Derek and Scott at the Hale House.

Peter was proud that Derek mentioned I researched werewolves for Scott and that we thought we had the answers, even if Derek thought I used Google for the research.  
  
  
  
  
I got Scott into the morgue to verify it was the same body. I asked "is this because you think Derek's the killer or because he told you not to play in the game."  
  
Scott said "there are bite marks on the legs."

===============================================================  
Peter says "I bit her throat, so that's a lie."  
===============================================================

We see his flashback of his attack on Laura after she located him in the forest.  
  
  
I told Scott not to play, and if he did, he didn't have to be a super player. He could cry on Allison's shoulder if he weren't.  
  
Scott freaked out after he made the last score, but Allison calmed him down in the locker room.  
  
I hint he could use Allison as his anchor. I then told Scott that Derek was out of jail because a wolf killed the girl who was also his sister.  
  
  
===============================================================  
They both gawk when Scott got a date with Ally and wanted to ask Derek for pointers on not wolfing out.  
===============================================================  
I pointed out to Scott that we arrested him, why would he help? Scott got a calculating look in his eyes.  
  
I suspected he knew Derek's not the Alpha.  
  
**AT THE BUS CRIME SCENE**

I asked "why would Derek help you remember he killed someone?"

They see I kept watch while Scott tried to remember from inside the bus. That's when I was sure it wasn't Derek.  
  
We see a fuzzy flashback of Peter's attack on the bus driver andwhen Scott got in the way.  
  
  
Again, Peter saw the entire confrontation between Derek and Scott while I used dad's passwords to check out Meyers.

I connected him to the Hale fire and a possible bribe to hide the evidence. I brought up the family members listed living there in the last census and compared it with the list of bodies.

I saw Derek, Laura, Cora, and Peter weren't listed. Cora's last known location was the previous week in Argentina. Peter was in Beacon Hills Hospital.

  
  
I brought Melissa lunch, and small talked with her. Then I snuck into the camera room. I saw Peter looked comatose.

I checked the camera feed to see if he moved on his own. When I sped up the tape, it was more evident that he _**did**_. He was either very determined or he not entirely sane and didn't know how to act human yet, so he didn't.  
  
  
===============================================================  
Peter says "you _**knew**_ all along that it was me? You saw that I was _**only**_ going after the ones that hurt my family and didn't do anything to stop me because you _**sympathized**_ with me?"  
  
I say _**"if**_ it was me, I'd have sought justice as well. _**Who'd**_ believe a comatose _**werewolf**_ woke up every few nights and _**hunted**_ down the murderers of his family?"  
===============================================================

 

We see Peter's memory of when Kate shot Derek.  
  
Then, I nearly hit Derek with my Jeep, Scott threw him in my vehicle and told me to take him somewhere while he got the bullet from Allison's.

I suspected he'd check out Ally more than look for the ammo. Every thirty minutes or so I texted if he found the bullet.  
===============================================================  
They notice when I say Derek smelled like death.

I shouldn't have noticed that. It was almost a day since the last time I took the potion. Alexi asks "how long does it affect you? How can you smell that?"

I sigh. "It last about 24 hours now. When something happens to increase my adrenalin, it reactivates the sense of smell and hearing. I was freaking out that Derek might die on me and pissed that Scott was with Allison. It activated my senses."

Alexi says "you don't have any resistance to the lycanthropy left. If Peter bit you right now, you'd turn, with no ill effect."

Peter says "I'm not taking any chances with his life."

===============================================================

I finally brought Derek to the Vet's office around 7 or 8 while Scott was still at Allison's.

Derek told me to cut his arm off because he ran out of time. I stalled because ... cutting off an arm ... no, just no!

===============================================================

Peter growls at the constant threats from Derek. I can feel Alexi's irritation at the threats as well.  
===============================================================  
Scott showed up just in time.  
  
At home, I used the police site to discover the victim from the video store had priors for arson. I checked the roof the next day and found the spiral.

The footprints went through it, without slowing down, so that meant they never noticed it.  
  
  
In Chem class, Harris chided me for highlighting as he pointed out Scott wasn't there and neither was Allison.

I noticed he puts his hand on Jax and leaned in, in an **overfriendly** way. Is that how Jax passed that class?  
  
  
  
I went to Lydia's, where she was heavily medicated. I knew when she called a giraffe a mountain lion that she was of no help.

When she got a text, I accidentally saw the shots of when the Alpha left the video store.

I took her phone and left a million message for Scott to find out what to do. I finally deleted it when he didn't answer because _he was with Allison._  


===============================================================  
Peter growls that Lydia's head got amazingly close to my groin.  
  
  
I say "Alexi. You don't want to see what I found out, when. You want to see Scott. Can we skim things, the night's not as long as you need, to see every _**little**_ thing."  
  
Alexi says "I suppose you're right."  
  
Peter says "but, I'm finding out that half the shit I _**did**_ give Scott credit for was _**you**_. I also observe that he took you for granted _**a lot more**_ than you ever let on."  
  
I say "we were kids and he's suddenly not only getting _**sex**_ , but he's a fledgling _**werewolf**_ with no clue how to be one. Not to mention, he's an idiot."  
  
They both say "don't make excuses for him. Let's skim and see what we want to know."  
===============================================================  
  
  
Peter followed Scott and saw Derek scared the shit out of him in the garage and told him that he couldn't be with Allison.  
  
Scott immediately went to Allison's house and hopped in bed with her. He was in her closet when Kate told Allison about the werewolf called the Beast.

I laughed when Peter scared the shit out of Scott and drew the spiral.

 

===============================================================  
Alexi says "he was in her bed and would've had sex, if not interrupted, but tried to convince, what he thought was Derek, that he broke up with her. How much does he pretend to be an idiot and how much is real?"

I say "I never figured that part out."

===============================================================

 

Later Scott told me Derek would teach him to control his shift by using anger to anchor it.

I pointed out anger made him shift and turn. He needed a different anchor than Derek. I taught Scott to use Allison as his anchor even if he wasn't with her.  
  
I angrily said "the thought of loving someone makes you weak is too Spartan for me. You know they used their love for their lovers to make them stronger, even if those lovers were the men they fought with."

 

===============================================================  
Both Alexi and Peter laugh at the keyed car incident that I used to get back at Scott for some of the shit he did to me.  
===============================================================

 

I saw Derek went to see Peter. I needed him to know this was set up by Deaton.

I put a copy of the report Deaton made about the deer with a spiral on it, back in August, on the front of his car. I already ensured he wouldn't smell me.  
  
  
  
**THE SCHOOL**

I feel that Peter's impressed when he realizes I'm the one that kept the teens away from him and I'm the one that trapped him in the boiler room.

I was right. There were two wolves that night. Deaton used a spell to take the form of Peter's Alpha and tried to kill Allison and her group while Peter tried to force Scott to kill the others. That's why no one saw Deaton from before Peter attacked until after the cops showed up.  
  
Derek left before the other teens arrived and that's why my jeep was the only vehicle out there.

===============================================================

I feel Alexi's anger the entire chase at the way Scott treated me. "How dare that idiot treat you like an idiot!"

I try to calm him. "Scott's an idiot and he always thinks everyone else is the idiot. It's not personal."

They both get pissed when they see how fast Scott threw Derek under the bus.

  
===============================================================  
I noticed Allison ran to Jax more than once. Did she play Scott? Lydia also noticed and got angry.  
  
  
We got out of the school, and Allison broke up with Scott.

That was my way to get Scott to the park. I swiped dad's bottle of Jack and took Scott to the park to get drunk. The two arsonist showed up, there was an altercation, and we left.

 

===============================================================  
Peter says "you suspected they were the ones with Kate that night and you knew they hung out there. You ensured I found them by following Scott?"  
  
I nod "I wanted to verify you were following him and I wasn't sure they were involved or that you were killing everyone involved."

After the altercation I ran after Scott on the way to my jeep.

Peter says "wait, you just ran after Scott and didn't act drunk at all. You were never even drunk. It was an act."  
  
I nod. "Yeah, it was an act. How many pass out drunk into a Jeep and wind up sitting in the seat?"  
===============================================================

 

They see me stop Scott's panic attack and I explained that I used to get them after mom died. Neither of them knew that. I still get them.  
  
I asked Scott if he could ask if Lydia liked me. He made out with her instead and told me she was totally into me. Jax and I figured out at the same time that she made out with Scott.  
  
  
  
That night was the full moon, and I tricked Scott to chain him up.

===============================================================

They laugh at the dog dish with Scott's name on it.

===============================================================

 

Scott escaped, and I went looking for him. I found the burned body of Unger and thought it was my dad. I panicked. I didn't notice the Argent's watching from across the street, but Peter did. He wasn't far away.  
  
Derek told Scott that the cure for lycanthropy was to kill the wolf that bit you. That's how you become an Alpha. He lied and Scott didn't notice.

 

===============================================================  
When Peter tried to kill Harris and Derek stopped him I ask. "Why run instead of fight Derek? You're bigger and stronger, and Harris was your enemy."  
  
Peter says "Derek was family. I didn't want to fight, I wanted pack. I wanted revenge."  
===============================================================  
Peter gets pissed that Derek threatens me again, and then they laugh at how we got Danny to tell us who sent the text.  


 

===============================================================  
Alexi says "you won't burn in hell for getting your dad a little drunker and a little faster than what he intended so that you could go through his case files.  


He was already getting drunk, you merely helped it along."  
===============================================================  
  
I chuckle at Peter telling Melissa she has flawless skin. He said almost the same thing to Allison.

===============================================================

Peter says "I have a thing about pale skin."  
  
I say "wait. You really had to stop a fashion emergency. You picked out her dress with her coloring. Why do I get the feeling you're not bisexual?"

He says "because I'm not. I'm gay. Kate thought about seducing me, but females don't do it for me. Are you assuming that knowing a thing or two about colors and fabrics makes me gay? Isn't that a little stereotypical?"

I blush. "You're right. I'm sorry. I just can't believe I overlooked that you had to stop a fashion emergency. You have excellent taste, by the way."

===============================================================

Peter laughs when he saw me call the Macy's security (while Lydia tried on dresses) and told them to announce Allison's car was being towed when he tried to get too close to her.  


 

===============================================================

 **At the garage**  
Alexi says "so even insane; you had enough control to offer Wilka the bite and not force him into it. I'm impressed."

 

 **At the hospital**  
Peter says "I wasn't aware that you and Chris had that standoff."  
  
I nod and say "only Jackson and Chris knew."

 

 **At the Hale House**  
Peter says "wait. You honked before you threw the firebomb so that I'd catch it. You sabotaged yourself, and that's a tear in your eye? You didn't know that you're my mate then!"  
  
  
I nod. "I sympathized with your need for justice for the death of your family and I didn't like that you were burned again. It must be horrible to be hurt by something that hurt you once before so badly that you were in a coma for years."

===============================================================

  
  
  
Harris put me in detention every day because dad let it out that he didn't speak up about Kate. They really get pissed when Harris made innuendos about sex and BDSM with his 'I'm going to make you my personal project ... I'm going to give you the full benefit of my disciplinary system ...' the bastard."  
  
===============================================================  
Peter says "as if his attempted rape of a 13-year-old boy wasn't bad enough, you then had to put up with his constant insults and sexual double talk."  
  
Alexi says "it's a shame that the Darach killed the bastard before I could. That bastard tried to rape you when you were 13?"  
  
I sigh and say "dad found the video back up on my computer that I had to keep him from carrying out his threats or trying again."  
===============================================================  
  
Scott and Derek saw Gerard kill a werewolf because he was a wolf and stated it was all out war. He didn't tell anyone, he kept everything to himself. I found out because I didn't trust Scott to tell me anything and put a bug in his watch.  
  
===============================================================  
I ask "Can we skip ahead a bit please?"  
===============================================================  
  
They watch as Scott joined forces with Gerard and betrayed us to him. They aren't forgiving about it, even though he eventually did as Deaton told him and double-crossed Gerard.

  
They get angry when they see he joined forces with Deucalion, who wanted me dead.  
  
  
We watch everything until the discussion in the rain.  
  
  
  
===============================================================  
Alexi says "okay. He doesn't betray people because he's evil. He does it because he's gullible and believes life is black and white. He's also stupid enough to believe anyone close to him and doesn't fact-check first. I'll have a little talk with him and let him know that if he hurts you again, I _**WILL**_ put him down with extreme prejudice."


	30. More Secrets Come Out

**THURSDAY,  30 May 2012**  
When Alexi withdraws his claws, and I open my eyes. He hugs me and walks out to get some sleep.  
  
Peter nuzzles closer to me as we go back to sleep.  
  
I sleep without dreams. I guess it makes sense since I re-lived most of my life and got a new perspective on a few things. I'm also aware that I can't protect Scott from himself forever. He needs to grow up, step up, and take responsibility for himself.  
  
  
**THURSDAY  31 May 2012**  
Melissa and I are making breakfast as we, or mostly I, answer questions from Alexi about the things Malia told him about as well as a few things he saw last night.  
  
Morrell asks an occasional question or adds to something I stated.  
  
  
  
Morrell knew more about the dead pool affair than I thought she did. It also appears that the Alpha pack was more desperate than I thought.  
  
  
  
I suppose I can give Scott a little more leeway with his decision to side with Deucalion. Not a lot mind you, but some. He trusted Deucalion more than Jenn, even though it was more of a foregone conclusion that Deucalion was going to kill all of us for our strength and power.  
  
It appears Scott was banking on me finding our parents while he stalled Deucalion until the eclipse. He thought Deuc would kill Jennifer, and during the eclipse (when all the werewolves lost their powers) that either Chris or I would stop Deucalion.  
  
He knew all along that Deucalion planned to kill me in the end. He also knew that Deuc thought to either force Derek or Scott to kill the others and he'd then kill Derek _**and**_ me.  
  
Melissa can't believe he was that nieve.  
  
I nod "even Superman isn't that oblivious to human nature."  
  
She asks "how can Scott think that a monster, like Deucalion, that killed his pack and countless others would leave town when a kid tells him to, never to return? Life doesn't work that way."  
  
I say "luckily, all of Deucalion's pack either died or lost their Alpha abilities. Jennifer stripped away most of Deucalion's powers. He's like a new Alpa. He was alone, and no one trusted him. When he did try to come back to town, Peter fought him at the border. Peter defeated him without revealing he's an Alpha. They used to be friends, so he let Deucalion retreat."  
  
I drink some of my coffee. "A month later, Deucalion tried to come into town through the preserve. I used my earth abilities to make it appear as if the Nemeton was awake. I made trees move from place to place, opened up sinkholes at his feet that closed up every time he climbed a tree. The trees he climbed sprouted vines that tried to tie him up. He decided Beacon Hills wasn't a place he wanted to visit."

  
  
Peter comes downstairs in his robe. He embraces me from behind as he snuffles at my neck, swipes a piece of bacon from my pan and walks out the door for his morning patrol.  
  
  
  
We hear him howl and then Malia's answering howl. A minute later a coyote runs past the door to run with Peter.  
  
Alexi shakes his head. "I can't believe Deaton did that much shit before Peter arranged to put him down. You should've told me you suspected that Darach of all that, instead of trying to prove it on your own. It would've been nice if you told someone about all the shit you were dealing with, not everyone expects you to deal with _**your**_ shit _**and**_ all of _**their**_ shit too. I think everyone here would've supported you."  
  
I nervously look into my pan at the bubbling bacon as I slowly say "I wasn't entirely sure that I wasn't just paranoid or jealous that Scott listened to him and not me, even though I consistently proved that I was right. Once I got in over my head, I couldn't see any way of getting out. That is, not until Scott turned his back on me and told me not to talk to the others.  I guess that's when I decided I needed to leave and save myself, finally. Either that or kill myself. Peter pointed out when I was dead that my death would kill dad and he couldn't survive without me. I didn't want dad to lose me like that. I couldn't leave Peter in Eichen House either. I've been there, and I wouldn't put my worse enemies there."  
  
I sigh deeply and say "it still annoys me that it was always 'hey Stiles, we need a plan,' but when I told Scott who I believed the bad guy was or what I believed their plan was, he dismissed me. Later it was always 'well no one knew this.' I'm like 'I did, and I even told you, many times. You didn't listen to me, again!'"  
  
I sigh again and say "moving on. That train of thought still frustrates me and makes me mad. I don't like being mad."  
  
Melissa pats my back and says "not everyone dismissed you, honey. We listen to you because we know that you have keen insight."  
  
Alexi says "it appears that I owe Peter a great deal. He brought your body to Morrell here, to bring back from the dead."  
  
He looks at Morrell and says "I take it you used Stiles' connection to the demon that was draining his lifeforce to siphon life back from it for him?"  
  
She decisively nods an affirmative.  
  
Alexi says "Peter protected you in more than one instance. Malia says he could've killed Scott at any time, but didn't because he was your friend."  
  
I sadly nod as I look over my shoulder at him.  
  
Morrell lays her hand on my shoulder. "Stiles was incredibly weak and frail when he came back to life. I couldn't treat that kind of condition, so I sent them to Melissa."  
  
Melissa says "they didn't tell me he was like that because he'd been dead for hours. I just saw that he was dehydrated, undernourished, exhausted, and physically fatigued. I did what I could."  
  
I add "I got my strength back about an hour or so later. Mom here gave me a sedative so I could sleep for a couple of hours. I do remember that much."  
  
We're setting the table for breakfast as my dad, Peter, and Malia walk in the front door.  
  
Peter runs upstairs to get dressed before returning to the table to eat.  
  
We all continue answering questions throughout the meal.  
  
As we finish cleaning up, I feel Marco cross my geas. I turn to Malia and say "Malia, Marco just crossed into our territory. He should be at the door in about 5 minutes."  
  
She nods.  
  
Five minutes later Melissa answers the door and escorts Marco into the kitchen. He freezes in place when he sees Alexi. "Alexi! I haven't said anything. I'm just trying to live a simple life. I'm not a traitor! I'd never betray you or the order."


	31. Marco

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy 4th of July!!!

**THURSDAY  31 May 2012**  
  
Everyone looks at Marco with suspicion when he shows that he knows Alexi.

  
  
I study Marco and then look at Alexi. In Kosack I ask "he's one of yours, brother?"  
  
Peter blocks the doorway as Alexi says "he was. He just cut and runs after a traitor, and a dirty cop killed his brother. He looks a lot different without the waist length hair."

Alexi pulls out his phone and shows me.

Malia looks over my shoulder and says "that's Marco? Wow! I would have never recognized him."   
  
I say in English "Marco here is a suitor for my sister, Malia. I hope this doesn't mean he's a threat. I don't like threats to _**our**_ family, cousin."  
  
Alexi says in English. "I never found him to be a threat. He saw someone killed and ran. He didn't stay around to tell anyone what he saw _**or**_ attempt to get justice for the victim. He just ran. If anything, I'd say he's a coward."  
  
He turns to Marco and says " _ **This**_ is _**my**_ family. My _**sacred**_ family. My family _**always**_ comes _**first!**_ Malia is my favored cousin's sister. My cousin is my brother. So she's now my sister. You better pray that you don't hurt her, that is if you have the balls to stick around and date her. If you don't, _**now**_ is the time to run!"  
  
Marco gulps and nods. "Malia's worth staying for, and I won't hurt her. I swear on my life!"  
  
Alexi sagely nods. "Good!" He shines red eyes and says "if you hurt her or Stiles, there is _**nowhere**_ you can hide from me, not even in hell!"

 

  
Marco whimpers and quietly says in near terror "you _**are**_ a demon!"  
  
Peter steps forward and shines his red eyes. "I have to agree with Alexi. If you ever hurt Malia or Stiles, he won't be the only one hunting you down!"  
  
Morrell decides to get in on the game and casts magic fire in her hand. "Me, I'm just a witch. I don't _**have**_ to hunt you down to hurt you. _**I**_ can kill you in your _**sleep**_."

  
  
He nervously looks at me and asks "having witches and demons in your house doesn't bother you?"  
  
I look intently at him and then give him a half smile. I pick up a tomato slice, feel Earth energy and life flow into the seeds and make them grow into a tomato plant bearing tomatoes.   
  
  
  
He says "holy shit! How? That's not possible!"  
  
I smile at his confusion and panic. "I'm a Witch myself, and Malia is the same type of beautiful creature that Alexi is. Such creatures have a very close and strong relationship with their kin. This ..." I gesture around my home "...this is everyday life for me."   
  
He pales and looks at Malia. "I still think you're worth dating and possibly marrying one day."  
  
She smiles as she shows her claws and says "that's good to know. I _**can**_ protect myself, but my family can protect me as well. I hope you know how to treat me right."  
  
He gulps, nods, and says "yeah, I was just ... I wanted to ask .... umm ... if you'd like to see a movie some night. I wanted to ask in person and not over the phone so that I could see you. I can get tickets anytime you want to go" he finishes in a nervous, rambling rush.  
  
She nods and looks thoughtfully at me. "Peter and Stiles want to be alone this weekend. You can take me on Saturday, and we can eat lunch at the Big Trees Lodge." She smiles at Melissa and dad "Mom and dad went there on their first date."  
  
He smiles and says "we can eat an early dinner on Saturday and then go to the theater. That way you can say our first date is at the same place as them."   
  
She smiles happily.  
  
  
  
He turns to leave but stops when he notices Peter's still blocking the doorway with his arms crossed across his muscular chest.   
  
Peter smiles smoothly and purrs in his velvety smooth and possibly very threatening voice "if you want to impress us, bring her flowers. A gentleman always brings flowers to his sweetheart. The flowers say how you feel about them."   
  
She gushes "flowers? No one's ever given me flowers before."  
  
I say "Peter means don't give her flowers that mean friendship when you want a girlfriend or more. Florists, generally, know the meanings of flowers. Red tends to mean love in some fashion. The flower itself explains the type and intensity."  
  
Marco nods and smiles at Malia. "I'll have to remedy that. I have to go, now." He quickly leaves.  
  
Dad laughs and says "demons? You're not going to tell him what you are, are you? I take it that dialect you spoke is code for connected? He seemed to understand what you were saying."  
  
Alexi smiles and says "Kosak. Yes. Only the Russian mob know it. He suspected I was a were-creature for some time. He has no clue what type. Red eyes indicate the big boss, no matter the species. The fact that he just saw two red-eyed creatures proclaiming protection over Stiles and Malia should put the fear of God into him."   
  
Alexi takes a bite of his orange. "I'm going to go to the station with you guys and have a little talk with Celestria. I'm just going to ensure she keeps an eye on Romeo."  
  
Malia nods and says "Marco. His name is Marco."  
  
I smile. "Alexi's comparing him to Romeo and Juliet. The famed lovers that risk death to be together. It's just a slang term most days to indicate a boyfriend of someone, especially if you aren't sure of their name or what name they are using." I look at him and ask "what name did he use before?"  
  
Alexi says "Marco Anderson."

  
  
Melissa says "he kept the name, Marco."  
  
Peter says "when you leave your identity, you want to keep some form of stability. Maintaining a similar name to your real one is common. The Darach went from Julia to Jennifer. The stalker waiter just switched his first and last name around. Stiles kept his real first name and used a Polish surname. I remained as Peter but took on a Polish last name."  
  
Morrell says "Alan kept the same first name but used the root word that Druid comes from in another language that's rare here to get the name Deaton. Stiles caught that, just as he realized Deaton called Malia's mom by her real name. Everyone else referred to her as the Desert Wolf. Noone knew her real name, not even Braeden and Braeden was hunting her for years."  
  
I hold up the tomato plant. "I'm going to the greenhouse to plant my new plant."  
  
When I walk back into the house, my phone alarm goes off, and I grab my jacket as I say "time to go to work. Celestria gave me a few days off, but I want to be there when she sees you. It's been a few years since she saw you."  
  
Alexi laughs, and Peter says "that means I'm driving so I can take Stiles back home afterward."  
  
Melissa kisses dad's cheek, gets in her truck, and drives away.   
  
  
  
Dad waves bye to us as the rest of us get in my SUV. "This is one of the many reasons I got a bigger SUV. I hated not having enough room to fit everyone in my old Jeep. I miss Roscoe, but he wasn't going to make it another year."  
  
Malia ruffles my hair and says "you can only do so much with duct tape, brother." I smile at her as Peter drives us into the office.  
  


 

  
  
When we walk into the office, my boss yells "Alexi! You scamp! Come here you. Give me a hug and kiss. Gently now. I'm an old woman!"  
  
He obligingly picks her up carefully and gives her a hug and kiss on the forehead. He asks "how's my favorite Water Witch?"  
  
She smiles at him and says "I'm fine young'un. How's my favorite Weather Witch? It does my heart good to see you again. I was wondering how long it would take you to come to see me when you visit your little brother."  
  
He mock-shushes her and says "that's cousin, grammy! Noone's supposed to know! Shh!" He playfully looks around to ensure no one overheard as he cracks a huge smile.  
  
Celestria laughs and takes Malia's hands "did you see this pretty little filly he claimed as his sister? Now you got two siblings to fuss over." Malia blushes.  
  
He laughs and says "I sure did, grammy. Can we talk in your office while everyone goes to work and Peter drives Stiles home to rest up?"  
  
She gives him a studying look as he leads her into her office.   
  
Peter takes my hand and leads me back to my SUV.  
  
  
  


 

 


	32. Contracts

**THURSDAY  1 June 2012**  
 _ **10 am**_  
Back at the house, Morrell shows me how to meditate to get closer to my Earth energy and center myself. It helps me recharge what I think of as my magick battery faster.  
  
We practice meditation for over an hour. It does help me focus and center better. It also activates my werewolf senses that are left over from the constant use of my potion.   
  
It always amazes me how far I can see and how much I can now hear. I use the sound of Morrell's heartbeat and breathing to help calm and ground myself while I meditate.  
  
I have a shadowy wolf hovering in my shadow. I think that will be my wolf, when I turn.  
  
  
 **2 pm**  
Alexi walks in the back door and hugs me. "You take care of yourself, cousin." In Russian, he says "that wolf better take care of my little brother." 

  
I chew on my lip as I think about how to tell him Peter speaks Russian. 

Alexi laughs and says in Russian "I already figured it out, little brother, that your wolf speaks Russian."

  
Peter smiles and says in Russian "this wolf has a name cousin. Unless you prefer me to call you coyote."  
  
He laughs and says "your wolf has sass. I like him. Fine. Your wolf is named Peter. I call him Peter. Happy, wolf?"  
  
Peter scoffs. "Ecstatic. _ **OH!**_ Before you leave, _**were**_ traditions say that a new pack needs to go over negotiations when another Were is with them. Either an elder, ally, friend or family of someone in the pack. I'd say you qualify."  
  
Alexi says "ah. _ **The**_ contract. Haven't you done that yet? I suppose you haven't had anyone here to do that with you. Okay. Let's do that now."  
  
  
  
Peter smiles and says "good. Can everyone gather around the table? We need to talk about expectations and what ifs."  
  
When everyone sits at the table, Alexi starts "when a new pack forms, everyone that's not a were needs to decide and formally state what your wishes and desires. If for example, say a building fell on you John, would you want us to let you die or save you with the bite or try magic or what would you want to happen?"  
  
John says "oh that kind of expectations. That's a hard decision." He sighs and says "if I was mortally wounded and knowing that Stiles either is or will be a werewolf and his cousin is a were-coyote ... I believe I would want to become a werewolf. The connection between parent/child or spouse is stronger in a wolf. I think I can still be useful to the world in general as a werewolf."  
  
Alexi nods "okay. Melissa, what would you want?"

  
  
She thinks for a few minutes and says "I'm not only learning herbs but magic as well. I think, I'd instead of becoming a wolf or coyote or dying, I'd want to use magic and be a witch. We may need someone that's immune to both Wolfsbane and Foxglove. Someone that can manipulate mountain ash or Black Hawthorne ash as Stiles has been teaching me."  
  
Dad asks "your learning to be a witch? If that's what makes you happy, I'm ok with that. I can see you using it to help people."  
  
  
  
Morrell asks "you can use Hawthorne? I can't do that. It takes a great deal of communing with nature to be able to get it to listen to you. Have you and Stiles thought about opening up a clinic and using your magic and medical training to help people? I mean I know Stiles plans on going to school to be a nurse."  
  
I look askingly at Melissa, and she says "I never thought about that. We could do that, eventually."  
  
Alexi asks "Morrell?" Do you want to stay a witch or would you want to switch races?"  
  
Morrell says "I'd rather stay a druid. I'm happy being what I am, now that I have my freedom."  
  
  
  
Alexi says "so John would want to be a werewolf while Morrell and Melissa would want to use magic and remain a witch. Stiles and Peter plan on going through the claiming ceremony the day after tomorrow. That means you'll be a werewolf. Um, does that mean, Stiles, that you might eventually give birth to his babies?"  
  
I smile and say "I'm not opposed to that, but we think I should finish my education and develop a career before I have babies."   
  
Alexi says "good to see you have a good head on your shoulders."  
  
Peter asks "Alexi? When you speak English, you call Stiles cousin. When you speak Russian, you call him brother. Why?"  
  
I smile "our mothers were understandably close, being twins and all, and they raised us to be as close as siblings as well. Even though we're cousins, we grew up as brothers."  
  
He says "as soon as John left for work, mom brought me over to his house to play and learn necessary fighting skills along with reading, writing, Polish and Russian. Our mom's also taught us our family history."  
  
  
  
I say "my mom was a sniper, so she trained me in that as well while Alexi trained in... persuasion and leadership."  
  
Peter snorts. "So Alexi was trained to be an Alpha, and you were trained to be the left hand and enforcer. Almost the same as Talia and I."  
  
Alexi says "in a nutshell. You should see some of the sniper shots Stiles has made. I think the hardest shot I ever saw him make was through two glass car windows to shoot a weapon out of our enemy's hand."  
  
Dad says "wait. You did that? The FBI asked if I knew anyone highly skilled enough to make that shot. When I said no, they figured Alexi brought in a high-priced Russian sniper for a couple of jobs for him. That _**was**_ the most impressive shot I ever saw."  
  
I blush and say "I forgot you were _**there**_ for that. You were on the steps of the courthouse, but you _**weren't**_ in uniform."  
  
Malia says "no wonder you didn't have any problems with the firearms test. You're a master sniper."  
  
Alexi says "I've never let Stiles make a killing shot. He was just there for show and intimidation. He was normally over 1/2 a  mile away with his sniper rifle. I always ensured he was safe, protected and as innocent of my life as I could keep him."  
  
Melissa says "I'm glad you looked out for his innocence as well as his safety. Thank you for that."  
  
I think about how Chaldean is a dead language and only spoken by my family as Alexi turns to me and asks In Chaldean "does anyone know that _ **we**_ killed The chief _**bastard**_ that killed our family and tortured you _**already**_ , or does _**everyone**_ assume he's still out there somewhere?"  
  
I give him a sheepish smile as I reply in Chaldean "when Peter saw my scars and asked me how I got them, I _**told**_ him that _ **I**_ killed him and you _ **helped**_ me hide the body. He won't say anything. I told him my eyes would be yellow if I turned because I don't regret it and he wasn't innocent. He was like a demon in human skin."  
  
He laughs and says in Russian "I like your wolf. He's the perfect match for you. I could call him brother or cousin."  
  
I scoff, and I say in English "I'm so glad you approve my selection."  
  
Peter bites back in Russian "this wolf has a name. Coyote."  
  
Alexi laughs and says in English "and sass, your wolf, Peter, has sass as well. I like him. Now I need to talk to each of the non-shifters alone before I leave to verify that your choice was not under duress."  
  


I smile as he leaves for a walk with Melissa.


	33. Peter and Stiles talk Partnerships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was beta'd.

**5 pm**  
**FRIDAY, June 1st, 2012**  
My phone rings with the sound of Big Ben's Bongs. I rush to grab it and say "finally" as I head upstairs to talk to Danny in private.  
  
I answer the phone as I close my door. "Danny! I'm so glad you were able to call me today! Before tomorrow! I need to talk to you!"  
  
  
  
Danny says "easy now. Calm down and tell me what's so urgent."  
  
I blush. "Umm, Danny? I have a couple of very personal and private questions I need to ask you. Don't laugh at me, please."  
  
  
  
He says "when I laugh, I laugh with you. I would never laugh _ **at**_ you. What's the problem? How can I help you?"  
  
I take a few deep breaths, so I don't hyperventilate and try to word my questions. "OK. Um. You know I'm a virgin? Both ways. I have a huge date tomorrow with the guy I've mentioned to you. The one that I have a thing for, he moved with me here. He lives in my house!"  
  
Danny tries to encourage me to move on and ask my questions. "Okay. Your crush, Peter, is with you, and you have a date with him. That's great! I don't understand, how can I help you with that from here, in England?"  
  
I run my hand through my hair. "Bluntly put, I'm gay and have never been with a guy. Ever! Common sense tells me there's probably something the bottom needs to do so he's ready for the top. I only know what I saw on your internet and was hoping you could give me a few hints. Anything would be helpful. Throw me a bone. I'm dying here."  
  
Danny chuckles and says "okay. You should probably talk about that with Peter." I can hear him thinking things out. "Okay. The important physical thing you might want to do since it's your first time."  
  
Peter knocks softly and inches in when I don't say to stay out.  
  
Danny says "okay. How do I word this nicely without negative connotations? I've got it! The train needs a clear tunnel. You need to ensure the tunnel doesn't have any boulders or mud-slides blocking access to the train. Especially if the train is larger than most."  
  
Peter puts his hand over his mouth to hide his chuckle as he closes the door.  
  
I don't understand what he's telling me, but I see that Peter does, so I say "thanks, Danny. You're a big help, as always. I better go. Thanks for calling me back."  
  
I hang up and say "I don't get it. What does he mean? He said I should probably talk to you about it anyways."  
  
Peter smiles as he says "yes, you should've asked me. I understand that you may be embarrassed by that kind of talk, but if we can't talk about sex, how are we going to have sex?"  
  
I cock my head and shrug. He has got a point. "I was embarrassed to ask you about stuff I probably should already know, but I don't. I mean dad's a cop, and I was afraid that researching anything like that would raise red flags about sudden porn on his computers. Besides porn is only the sex part and not the getting ready for the sex part. I asked Danny because he knows everything about that and I didn't think he'd laugh at me or judge me for being stupid."  
  
Peter snickers. "I suppose in a smaller town, the internet providers would notice a sudden amount of traffic in porn on the sheriff's computer, and gay porn might have been a red flag for them to talk to your dad. It does limit where you can search and how."  
  
I scratch my head in confusion as I ask "what does that have to do with trains?"  
  
Peter laughs. "Danny was comparing the train to my dick and your ass to the tunnel. I think you can figure out what he meant by mudslides and boulders."  
  
I think a minute and say "Ew. Okay. I still don't know how that helps me know what a first-time bottom should know to be ready for first-time sex with a top. I think it's obvious that I'm the bottom since you're an Alpha."  
  
Peter snickers. "Derek is a power bottom. Being an Alpha doesn't define if you're the top or the bottom. How about we leave that open. We can always switch it up now and then."  
  
I cock my head and say "that's good to know. I have seen some gay porn at Danny's, but not very much. They always seemed to focus on the blowjob and that kind of bored me. If I'm going to watch gay sex, I want to see the sex part, at least once."  
  
Peter smiles as he says "the blowjob usually is to get them ready enough to have sex. I'm going to enjoy teaching you all about sex, while we have it. I see that I'm going to need to be vocal about what I'm doing and why."  
  
I ask "so, the train that I see _ **is**_ larger than _**any**_ guy I ever saw in the locker room."  
  
Peter smirks and says "I'm glad you put in the disqualifier of the locker rooms. I think I'd get jealous if you've been playing doctor with other guys. When guys are having sex on a regular basis, the bottom knows his body well enough to know if there's any blockages or buildups in their pipes. If you're a virgin that way, they recommend you use an enema the day before so you know that there's nothing in there that could be a problem."  
  
I make a fish noise. "Oh! I suppose I need to go to the store and get one."  
  
Peter smiles and nuzzles my neck. "I'll get it for you. I wouldn't want you to be embarrassed. You may want my help with using it. I know you're flexible, but it's easier if someone helps you with it. Also, I recommend the day before because the full effect isn't always when you take it. Sometimes it hits you again an hour or two later."  
  
I blush and think about it. Peter's going to help me have sex so why shouldn't he help me with this. He probably knows a few tips and pointers to make it easier to do. "Okay. I guess I can use the help. I've never used one before, so this is all new to me."  
  
  
  
We then spend the next 30-45 minutes talking about sexual positions and the mechanics of male on male sex. There's more than one thing that makes me blush and turn red. Rimming just took on a whole new meaning. It's not just basketball.  
  
He then lets me know "you shouldn't feel embarrassed to talk about what you need in the bedroom from your life partner. All partners should discuss what they want and need from the other in their relationship to keep a healthy and happy partnership. Is there anything you know you won't like, from what you have seen?"  
  
I have to think about it. "I don't think I'd enjoy anyone humiliating me or calling me names. I don't like that in normal situations. I don't see that making me aroused."  
  
Peter says "I don't see how anyone gets off on either humiliating someone during sex or being treated that way. It's a turn off for me. I think you should love and respect your partner. That's not either one in my book. I'm not saying they're wrong, but they are wired differently than I am."  
  
He squeezes me in a hug and says "I better get to the store and get a few supplies for tonight and tomorrow. Is there anything else you want or need while I'm out?"  
  
I look around and say "I'd love some of that fantastic smelling body wash that you use."  
  
He smiles and says "done. Let's go downstairs before they send up a search party for us."  
  
Once in the kitchen, Peter says "I have to go to the store, does anyone want or need anything?"  
  
Morrell mischievously bites her tongue before calling out "as a matter of fact. I forgot to bring tampons. Could you get me a box and some panty liners?"  
  
  
  
Peter gives her a death glare before smiling and says "no problem. Do you need light, regular or heavy, and are you sure you need liners and not pads? My sister used those saddlebag looking things while Laura used those thin little things with the wings."  
  
  
  
I have to hide my laugh behind my hand as Morrell drops her jaw, speechless.

Malia giggles and proudly says "that's my uncle."

  
It takes her a minute to collect herself as dad laughs and grabs a beer. Melissa chews on her lip as she struggles valiantly not to laugh or crack a big old smile.  
  
  
  
Morrell finally says "I prefer to use heavy tampons with light liners with wings. So if I spring a leak, it doesn't damage my clothes. Thanks, Peter."  
  
He smirks and walks out the door. I love the friendly banter of our canine pack.


	34. Alexi Meets the McCall Pack?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't resist Alexi showing Scott what Stiles put up with from Scott. If Peter could do it to him, why not Alexi?

**7 pm**  
**THURSDAY  31 May 2012**  
Dad and Melissa are out on a date, and Malia is still at work. Morrell is in town, shopping.  
  
Peter and I are getting dinner on the table when Alexi comes back. He eats with us as we discuss my plans for college in the fall. Alexi is thrilled that I eventually plan on having a child, or two, or three with Peter.  
  
  
  
Peter stresses that that won't be until I'm at least 21. He's being careful and including the day before and after the full moon as no sex days.  
  
Alexi chuckles. "No sex days? I like you. My brother picked a good man I see. Take care of him for me when I can't."  
  
   
  
Peter smiles and says "of course. I intend to keep my mate safe."  
  
We finish eating and cleaning up. Alexi extends his hand out to Peter and says "I'll be honored to have you as my brother-in-law. Officially my cousin. I have to get back now. I'm still setting up my new house. Come to visit me next month, for the full moon, and plan on staying the night."  
  
Peter says "we'll try."  
  
I hug Alexi at the door, and Peter says "happy hunting Alexi. Put in a little for me, if you don't mind."  
  
Alexi smiles and says "I can do that." He salutes and runs off towards his new home in Fresno.  
  
I look at Peter. "Don't tell me what, or who, he's hunting or what that little exchange was. I have a feeling I'm going to need my deniability."  
  
Peter nods acknowledgment as we walk inside. I smile as I realize we will be together in a whole new way, several new ways, the day after tomorrow. I can't wait.  
  
Alexi goes back to Fresno. He collects a couple of his lieutenants and loads up into his SUV.

They drive to Beacon Hills with a few _**errands**_ in mind on his brother's behalf.

 

  
  
**BEACON HILLS**  
They arrive at about 8 pm. Alexi tells his men to get him the plans to the prison. He wants to know _ **precisely**_ where Brunski is in that place, to the exact centimeter of his cell.  
  
His men recognize that murderous look and know they don't want to fail Alexi, in any way.  
  
They move off to get the information that he wants while Alexi runs over to the loft that Scott took over from Derek. He knows the way there from Stiles' memories.  
  
When he arrives, he sees a black car outside. It appears Derek is back on the scene.  
  
Alexi smiles evilly. Giving his message to the _**entire**_ pack serves his purpose, excellently.  
  
Alexi teleports into the loft, right in the middle of the pack watching TV. He turns his eyes red, grabs Scott by the neck, and slams him into the wall with enough force to dent the brick wall.  
  
Derek runs at him, and Alexi secretly uses telekinesis to make it appear as if he's far stronger than he is, tossing Derek with one arm into the stone pillar, (the same one Stiles threw him into). Derek lies on the ground winded and stunned.  
  
  
  
Lydia uses her Banshee scream, but he uses his weather magic to push the waves of sound around him and then tosses her back with his pulsing stream of air, without hurting her.  
  
  
  
Mason hides behind a post as Liam gets tossed into a wall hard enough to get stunned.  
  
   
  
Scott is desperately trying to free himself from Alexi's iron grasp. He's twisting and kicking as he claws at the hand holding him. It feels like stone pinning Scott's neck and nothing he does seems to faze Alexi.  
  
Alexi roars in Scott's face, inciting a wave of submission from the little brat. "If you and your little pack of misfits are done playing around? I'm not here to hurt or kill you. Don't get me wrong, I do _**want**_ to kill you for hurting Stiles, but he won't like that. That's what's important to me."  
  
Scott stops fighting and asks "Stiles?"  
  
Lydia asks "you know Stiles?"  
  
Alexi says "Yes. He's the only family I have, and my Wilka says not to hurt you. I'm just here to give you a little warning. If you _**ever**_ hurt him again, I _ **will**_ kill you! No one hurts him and gets away with it, _ **for long!"**_

Alexi looks at Lydia and Derek. "When I find out what someone did to him, I ensure it's done _**back**_ to them _**before**_ I kill them or ensure their deaths. _**This**_ brat deserves a lot of payback for _**everything**_ he did to my Wilka! The worst thing about it is he expected Stiles to take that treatment and every time Stiles grumbled about it he said Stiles was a weak human and that's why he wasn't a real pack member."  
  
Derek glares at Scott. He gets up, looking Alexi up and down. "You're a powerful Alpha. Why didn't we know about you?"  
  
  
  
Alexi says "Wilka and I protect each other. I'm connected, and Stiles was taught not to let his dad know that his mom's family is Russian mafia, especially since his dad is an American cop."  
  
Mason says "Wilka means wolf. But Stiles is human. I don't understand? Do you treat him like another wolf?"  
  
Alexi laughs and says "I like you. My Wilka's right. You're as well read as he is! Wilka is short for Wilkksiezycawyc. Our family isn't entirely human. There's a reason the Nogitsune went after him instead of Allison, Chris, Melissa, or John. Each of us has a special ability."  
  
Scott whines "can you let me go, please? It's a little hard to breathe."  
  
Lydia asks "what's your message? Why do I get the feeling that Stiles doesn't know you're here?"  
  
Alexi arches his brow in respect of her powers of observation. "Well, probably because he _ **doesn't** _ know."  
  
Derek stands there with a stiff back and dreads the answer to the question he's about to ask. "What did Scott do to Stiles?"  
  
Alexi turns to Derek and says "Besides the times he betrayed my Wilka to Gerard, Deucalion, and Deaton? He called my Wilka a murderer and told him not to talk to _**Scott's**_ pack! He turned his back on my Wilka and walked away. The only reason my Wilka didn't commit suicide is that he remembered from when he was dead that Peter and Morrell spent hours, pleading with his spirit that his death would kill his dad, not to mention me."  
  
Derek says "he was dead? For hours? How did we not know this?" He looks at the Banshee that senses death. She knows about this?  
  
Lydia says "because he felt that Scott never wanted to hear that Stiles was hurt or in pain. He hid it. He hid everything."

Alexi looks at Scott and extends his claws. "You need to see and feel what you did to my Wilka."

Scott remembers when Peter did that to him and tries to move back. " _ **NO!**_ Don't!"

Alexi slots his claws in the back of his neck and shows him Stiles memories of everything that Scott did to him and ensures the brat feels precisely how that felt. He feels a little bit of sadistic pleasure that he gets to hurt Scott in some way, even if it is only emotional."

When he finishes, Scott is crying and trembling as he mutters "I didn't know I was like that. I didn't know. My God! How did he put up with me! Why didn't he hurt me or kill me! If someone had done that to me, I would have killed them. No wonder he's so angry and doesn't trust me. My God, it's all my fault. I was a self-centered, stupid brat. How could he ever forgive me for that?"  
  
Alexi says "tell me why you would call my Wilka a murderer. You should've known that he won't kill someone, even if they deserve it. He might hurt them, and make them wish he killed them, but he doesn't kill. That's my job."

Mason balks at that statement. "Wait! The Russian mafia is like our American Police. They protect the people from the corrupt police and government. That means you're one of the good guys. Only you go about it as Batman does, with extreme violence and prejudice."

Alexi nods his head.

  
Scott says "Theo told me that Stiles beat Donovan to death with the wrench from his Jeep. He gave me the wrench covered in blood."  
  
Alexi nods "that was my Wilka's blood from where Donovan tried to kill him and succeeded in biting him. I saw the scar on his shoulder. He barely survived that fight. Humans aren't as strong as windigos."  
  
Mason says "what? Stiles would never do that! You should know that. You grew up with him!"  
  
Derek says "I don't know him as well as you do, Scott, but I know he'd never do that. Did you ask him? Did you check for evidence?"  
  
Scott sadly shakes his head.  
  
Alexi says "here's my message, Scott. You may have evolved into a _True Alpha_ , but you don't have the wisdom, strength, or power of one. A real leader always double-checks his facts. Stiles _ **always**_ double and triple checks _**everything**_ before he does _**anything!**_ I want you to fact check and talk with the three people here that have a better head on their shoulders than you, before you make a move to do anything. In case you haven't figured it out, that's Lydia, Mason, and Derek."  
  
Derek says "that's probably a good idea to follow Scott. That'll keep you from putting your foot in your mouth again or losing any more good pack members."  
  
Scott painfully nods his head and say "agreed. That sounds like the best course for me to follow. Can you let go of my neck know? Please? God! I feel like Scrooge after seeing the Spirit of Christmas Past."  
  
Alexi lets go of Scott and steps back.  
  
Derek holds his hand out to Alexi and Alexi pulls him into a Russian bear hug. Derek didn't realize how vast the man was, until then.  
  
   
  
They talk for about an hour about Stiles and everyone's plans for their futures. Lydia wants to go to MIT while Scott is desperately trying to take classes and schedule summer school to get his grades up and pass courses needed for the prerequisites to be a veterinarian.  
  
Alexi says "I have a few errands to take care of before returning to Fresno. I'm moving closer to my Wilka's new home so I can be closer to him."


	35. The Day Before the Big Date

**Friday, June 1st, 2012**

Peter helps me with the enema. I nervously try to cover my dick for a minute before I realize. Why? What am I doing? He's seen me naked, and he's helping me. Tomorrow he's going to be touching me in another way. I shouldn't be embarrassed.  
  
  
  
Once I get over that insecurity, Peter helps me with it and tells me to lay there like that for at least 10 minutes until I feel like I have to go and can't hold it.

**15 minutes later**  
Shit! Talk about opening the floodgates. I must have spent over half an hour on the toilet. I feel relieved when I finally finish. I'm glad he let me do this part in private.  
  
An hour later I'm back and finishing the last half of the hour sitting there as I finish my business. They really need to put a warning on those things saying that it doesn't all come out the first time.

 

  
  
**Saturday, June 2nd, 2012**

Peter wakes me up at 7 am with breakfast in bed.  
   
  
He closes the door so that we can have some privacy, and he explains a little bit about some of his plans for the day. "Today is about you. Now, saying that, there are a few things I have to do in a certain order because of timing with the moon and the time it takes for the change to take place."

  
He looks at me and says "everything I do today is a choice for you. You can say no at any time, and I won't think badly of you for it. I'll respect your decision."  
  
I say "that sounds ominous. Not that I would tell you no, but what do you mean?"  
  
Peter says "I need to bite you this _**morning**_ so that the change is far enough along so that my werewolf mate is in my arms tonight when I claim you. We can only harvest the full moon petals _**on**_ the full moon, in two days. That means I need you to drink _**your**_ potion _**this**_ morning. _**We**_ will make the potion together on the full moon, proving I can protect you whenever the need arises."  
  
I smile "I can handle that."  
  
I move to get out of bed to get my potion when he stops me. "No. Stay in bed and enjoy your breakfast. I now know that you keep some potion in here, disguised as coconut water. I'll bring it to you." He wiggles his eyebrows and says "I kind of like it when you're in bed for me."  
  
I blush.  
  
He gets my potion while I eat my delicious omelet and fruit. Peter hands me the bottle as he curls lazily around me.  
   
I drink some of my elixir and finish my breakfast. "Peter? I read there are three types of bites. The one you gave Scott is typically on the side, and a mating bite is on the shoulder. The books didn't explain the third bite, besides it's very personal."  
  
He snickers and kisses my wrist before gently rubbing my pulse point. "We give the turning bite to anyone and everyone we want to turn, but the third one you mentioned, we only give it to someone we know or suspect is our mate. It's like a werewolf engagement that also happens to turn you. It's on the wrist, and any other werewolves in the area that see a healing bite on someone's wrist know not to touch them because an Alpha has already spoken for them."  
  
I arch my brow in surprise as my mouth pops open in shock. But that means ... "Wait! Hold the Phone! In the garage ... you were going to bite my wrist! You were giving me a werewolf engagement bite?"  
  
Peter smiles and says "yes. I'm not a spring chick, and finding your mate _ **is**_ rare. I'd already convinced myself that the boy in my dreams a decade before, was just the dreams of an unbalanced mind."  
  
He strokes my cheek tenderly. "After I bit Scott, I found myself attracted to you on levels that I never had before, and I was willing to take the chance that you could be my mate. Or as close to it as I might ever get in my lifetime. In my defense, I was still insane at the time. My wolf wanted me to take you and not let you have a chance to refuse us, but I didn't want you to hate me. For some reason, it mattered to me, even insane, what your opinion of me was."  
  
I ask "so your wolf recognized me, but didn't tell you?"  
  
He laughs and says "you've heard me say my wolf wants me to do this or wants to do that. He doesn't tell me in words what he wants and knows. Wolves talk with scent, body language, impulses, and feelings. He can't say 'hey that's your mate,' but he can feel very protective of you and want, revere, respect, and love you. If I'm in a full-wolf or Alpha-shift, I can talk to him in the wolf language, but full-shifts are rare and not easily accomplished. I _**can**_ do it, as can _**most**_ of my bloodline."  
  
Peter kisses my wrist and looks at me with hopeful red eyes.  
  
I nod and say "do it. You already know that I accept you. I accept becoming a werewolf and being in your pack, Alpha."  
  
He happily smiles and wraps his long fingers around my forearm and gently extends his fangs into my wrist. Before I can register that there is any pain, I see the black tendrils flowing up his hand and realize he's taking the pain, so I don't feel it.  
  
  
  
He licks around the wound and then cleans up the bite mark. It doesn't look that bad actually. It's not bad enough to be bandaged, and the weather is cold enough for wearing long sleeves, which is a plus. I tend to wear long sleeves anyway.  
  
I reach up and wipe the few drops of blood off of his chin.  
  
I ask "so what are our plans now?"  
  
He smiles and says "I guarantee that the senses you get from your point are more than what humans have, but I doubt it's on the same level as ours. So, we're going to walk around our territory and let your wolf get used to the sights and smells before going to _'The Five and Dime'_ where I'm going to propose in front of Roxy and our pack."  
  
He gives me a sly smile. "Roxy's scary, by the way. She insists on seeing you 'proposed to properly.' There's no way you can tell that woman no when it comes to you. By the way, you're not supposed to know. Try _**not**_ to imply that I _**staged**_ it."  
  
I laugh and say "that's Roxy! I won't! I'm a firm believer of don't believe anything until the proof is in your hand."  
  
We hike our territory for 4-5 hours while I make the occasional comment about smells I didn't notice before or things I've never seen before. I thought it would be like taking my potion, but it's not. My senses are even stronger now than they ever were on my WMPM. Peter's right, as always.  
  
I marvel at how good our eyesight is now and how divine he smells. I want to burrow in his scent and have it wrapped around me.  
  
  
  
I was right about the wolf in my shadow. He's my wolf spirit or totem. I feel as though his name is Lucien.  
  
Peter then drives us to Roxy's. He asks me if I want my usual or something different. "I'll take my usual meatloaf."  
  
Mom and dad show up five minutes later, and Malia arrives ten minutes after that, with Marco, for dessert. Morrell gets there on her motorcycle about 10 seconds later.  
  
After I finish eating my meatloaf and Malia is eating her dessert, Marco's treat, Peter looks at my dad and gets a sage nod from him.  
  
I arch my brow in curiosity. Peter reaches into his jacket and pulls out a little blue heart-shaped velvet box. He takes a deep breath, takes my hand and smoothly slides down to the floor on one knee and opens the box to reveal a stunning silver engagement ring with a decent sized diamond and blue accents.  
  
  
  
I cover my mouth in surprise. "That's a beautiful ring."  
  
Peter takes the ring out of the box and holds it up to me. "Stiles? Wilkksiezycawyc Stilinski? Will you do me the great honor of marrying me? Please let me love and protect you forever?"  
  
I smile and say "I thought you'd _ **never**_ ask?" I throw my arms around his neck for a quick hug before he places the ring on my finger and kisses my hand.  
  
He says "I know you don't like blood diamonds. The jeweler promises that this is an Asian diamond, so you don't have to worry about that."  
  
I smile that he considered that when he picked this out. "Thank you, Peter."  
  
Roxy claps and whistles in celebration. When Peter sits next to me and wraps his long arm around me, she holds up my hand to look at the ring and says "that is an impressive rock. Is there any meaningful inscriptions on it?"  
  
I smile and take the ring off so I can look at the inside and see that there is an inscription inside it. I beam as I read "You are the moon that lights up my dark world." I look at Peter and say "that is a very apt thought, love."  
  
Peter smiles and says "it's perfectly true, Little One."  
  
I put the ring back on and say "I don't intend to take this off again."  
  
We drive around aimlessly for a few hours and then get some gas before heading home to an empty and quiet house.

Peter tells me to get dressed in something that moves and is comfortable. Our romantic outing tonight is a private affair.  
  
I head upstairs and take a shower to get ready while Peter goes out on an errand.  
  
  
  
After my shower, I get dressed in the suit he got me to match his own. I'm just buttoning the last button on my shirt when Peter walks in with a bouquet of Red tulips, interspersed with Red and White Carnations, and thirteen long-stemmed roses that he added to show his love for me. They mean deep love, unending devotion, and undying love. "I love them. I take it everything has a double meaning today?"  
  


  
Peter smiles contentedly.  
  


 

  
**Meanwhile**

A sudden severe thunderstorm moves into Beacon Hills and isolates the prison at the same time that Peter is proposing to his young mate.  
  
  
  
The weatherman says he has no idea where the freak winter storm came from, but he's suggesting that everyone stay inside.  
  
That's when the power goes out in all of Beacon Hills. It appears lightning hit the electric department and separated the power supply from the power grid.


	36. Storm of the Century

  
**SATURDAY, June 2nd, 2012**  
  
 **BEACON HILLS**  
A sudden severe thunderstorm has caused a blackout by separating the power supply from the power grid.   
  
Something strange and sinister is happening in prison. The inmates, in what the guards call murderers row, all move with a purpose and a goal.   
  
  
  
A bolt of lightning comes through the window in the center of the ward. As it strikes the floor it shimmers, morphs and assumes the form of a red-eyed muscular man, with no shirt on. 

The giant of a man towers over most of the guards with blazing red eyes as they cower in fear.  
  
They stand there rooted to the spot, staring in disbelief. They look at each other and slowly take a step backward. Slowly backing into a large puddle of water that leaked in from the rain pouring into the hole in the ceiling.   
  
   
  
The large man growls, holds up his hand and points at the puddle they are all standing in, none of them even noticed it was there. 

A bolt of lightning erupts from his finger and flies straight into the rainwater pool, shocking all of the guards into unconsciousness.

  
All of the prisoners scream and howl in triumph that all of the guards are unconscious.

He smiles as he flings electrical bolts at the cell doors. All the cells open. The four that submitted to him rush and grab the last prisoner. _**This**_ murderer's name is _**Brunski.**_

One of the prisoners suggests killing the guard. 

The giant says _**"NO!**_ Killing cops is killing yourself. Cops will stop at nothing to stop and kill a cop killer! Lock them in your cells where they won't get in our way. Relieve them of their weapons as well."

They nod as they think it over before locking the guards in their old cells.  
  
Alexi faces the prisoners and smiles. Several of these prisoners have agreed to serve him tonight in exchange for assistance in getting out of prison. He doesn't want them to know how much he's using them and how much he knows about them.  
  
The prisoner screams and yells as they take him and wire him to the bars of one of the cells.   
  
The red-eyed man tells the prisoners to find knives and one of the electrical zappers the guards use.   
  
While they are gathering their weapons, the giant man leisurely walks up to Brunski and says "you're the bastard that _**hurt**_ my cousin. _**Now,**_ I'm going to hurt _**you**_ , in the same way that you tortured my Wilka. I'm going to _ **enjoy**_ this. You _**won't**_ , but you _ **earned**_ this fate."  
  
  
  
The prisoners come back with their makeshift knives and the stunners they took from the guards.   
  
Alexi looks at the prisoners and asks " _ **have**_ any of the _**children**_ in _ **your** _ families been **_tortured_** and abused by this _**bastard**_ or have family members been killed by him in Eichen House?"  
  
Johnson says " _ **he**_ killed my _**grandmother**_ ten years ago. The bastard has been killing people and torturing kids for over 20 years."  
  
Roberts says "he tortured _**my uncle**_ in Eichen House when he was a child. He was never the same after that."  
  
Schaffer rips his own shirt open revealing scars like Stiles. "He tortured _**me**_ when I was six years old in that horrible place."  
  
Macko says "not my family, but _ **my**_ _**wife's brother**_ was tortured by him and later killed by him in that place."  
  
Alexi smiles widely. "Then the four of you can avenge the innocents he killed and tortured as I avenge my cousin. I suggest we do to _**him**_ exactly what he did to his victims."  
  
They advance on Brunski, and for the next few hours, you can hear his screams carrying throughout the jail.

When they finish giving him duplicates of the various scrars that Brunski gave all of his victims.

Johnson says "he sexually abused those kids at least once. I can return that favor to this bastard."  
  
A broken and wrecked Bronski screams _ **"No! I'm not gay!**_ You can't do this. _**NO!**_ Please no!"  
  
Alexi says "you're a pedophile, which is far worse than a rapist."  
  
His screams make Johnson more determined than ever.

Alexi turns his head away as Johnson has his way with Brunski. He can watch torture, blood and death, but he can't watch sexual assault. It brings it close close to home for him that this bastard raped his cousin. His brother.

Afterward Alexi hands him a knife and says "I think you deserve the honor of finishing this scum."  
  
The others cheer as Johnson drives the knife into Brunski's heart.  
  


 

Alexi turns away from the bloody mess that is Brunski and slowly and determinedly walk to the outside door. He holds his hands up and forces a great gust of air towards the massive barricaded door and blows it out of the building. It lands a good 20 feet away.

He turns back to the prisoners. "I said I'd help you escape in exchange for helping me avenge my family. There's your freedom, gentlemen."  
  
They nervously walk to the door and their first glimpse of a possible freedom they never thought they would see.

Before the four prisoners walk out, they turn back to say thank you, but Alexi is gone. They step through the door and are mowed down by machine gun fire from the guards.  
  
Alexi is on the roof watching. Ensuring the four murderers die. "I said I'd help them get out of prison. I never said it would be alive. I can't let murderers out into the general population with innocents." He teleports to the overlook at the far side of the city.  
  


 

  
 **TEN MINUTES LATER**  
 **8 pm**  
Parrish walks into the prison and finds what's left of Brunski. He sees that the wounds on his shoulder, side, and back are in the same places as the ones on Brunski's victims. "Peter Hale! It had to be Peter! He's the only one that would seek revenge like this."  
  
He gets on his radio and says "Tara. Can you bring Scott Mccall here to the prison? There's something I need to show him."

   
  
  
 **An short while later**  
 **9:30 pm**  
Scott walks in and sees the mess. The dead bodies outside the door and Brunski's corpse still wired to the bars.

  
  
Scott looks around and says "what the hell happened here?"  
  
Parrish gestures at Brunski. "Did you notice those wounds match the scars on all of his victims? Stiles was one of his victims. Sheriff Stilinski didn't come out and say it, but I put two and two together."  
  
Scott says "Stiles did made a point of not letting anyone see him without a shirt. I caught a glimpse through a mirror that he has scarring on his shoulder, but not enough of a look to verify it looks like that. It doesn't make sense that Peter would come here, away from Stiles, and do this."  
  
Parrish says "only a supernatural could have done this. I'm sure Peter did this. He's killed again because of his need for revenge. I'm going to stop him this time. Let's drive out there and stop him."  
  
Scott says "Wait! I have to talk to Derek, Mason, and Lydia about this. It doesn't seem right! I've always wanted to think the _**worst**_ of Peter, but I _**can't**_ see him doing this! This isn't his style."  
  
Scott walks away to go back to the loft while Parrish goes to the station to get wolfsbane and start the drive to Yosemite.  
  
  
  
 **AT THE LOFT**  
 **10:30 pm**  
Derek says "so Parrish thinks that Peter suddenly decided to drive hours away from Stiles, to kill someone that's already on deaths row, for revenge. I don't see it! Does anyone see how stupid that sounds? Was there a spiral at the scene? Peter left a spiral near his revenge kills with the Argent's killers and arsonists."  
  
Scott shakes his head. "I didn't see any. I never noticed the one on top of the video store until Stiles pointed it out to me. You're right. Peter would mark this as him or revenge in some way, and I don't see anything that indicates that this is him."  
  
Lydia asks "so Brunksi tortured Stiles in Eichen House? That was what the bastard was hinting about when he was trying to kill us. Poor Stiles." She paced is agitation.  
  
Mason looks up with a gleam in his eyes, reminding them of Stiles when he figures something out. "Wait a minute! Remember what Alexi said? He said that when he finds out that someone hurt his family, he hurts them in the _ **same**_ way. Alexi's _**here**_ in Beacon Hills, and he said he had _**errands**_ to run here. He said no one gets away with hurting his family, _**for long.**_ It's more feasible to think that _**he**_ did it than Peter did."  
  
  
  
Lydia holds up her finger for them to hold on. Something's on the tip of her brain, but she can't quite reach it. She needs to talk to Stiles' dad. He can answer this. She calls John Stilinksi. "Hi, Sheriff Stilinksi?"  
  
  
  
John says "You can call me John. I'm not a Sheriff anymore. I am a ranger now but, just call me John."  
  
Lydia says "I hate to bother you this late at night, but I have a couple of questions. Someone told me that each person in Stiles' family has a unique supernatural ability. _**Who**_ is in that family, and _**what**_ capabilities do _**they**_ have?"  
  
John hesitates a minute. He and Stiles trust Lydia. "Stiles is _ **earth**_ based. He can grow plants without seeds or soil. His cousin, Alexi, is _**weather**_ based. I'm not sure what he can do besides he controls the weather."  
  
Lydia smiles as the pieces fall into place in her brain. "Thank you, John! That's been a big help." She hangs up. "Weather! Like the sudden storm that covered Beacon Hills or the blackout that isolated the prison. He ensured that _**all**_ the prisoners were killed trying to escape so that they couldn't hurt any innocents."  
  
Mason is looking at the pictures. "Scott. These pictures. Knives caused these wounds, not claws. Theses burns are electrical burns like from the cattle prods. I bet all four prisoners had someone hurt by Brunski and he let them hurt and kill the bastard. He must have told them to hurt him in the same way Brunski hurt his victims, and Alexi watched. He didn't do anything because he didn't have to, he found others to do it _**for**_ him."  
  
Derek says "He _**didn't**_ kill anyone, and he didn't _ **let** _ the killers escape. He's _**not guilty**_ of anything besides the blackout and opening the doors so the guards could kill the convicted murderers for escaping the prison."  
  
  
  
Scott looks at the pictures. "We _**can't**_ let Parrish kill Peter because he assumes something with no facts"

He stands up straight as he realizes he and Parrish have switched places. He's thinking things out while Parrish is making assumptions and breaking the law, and going after an innocent person because he didn't get the facts first. "Oh my God! He's acting like me! He's running off half-cocked without the facts, and he could kill an innocent person because of it. We have to stop him! I don't think Stiles would handle losing Peter very well."  
  
Lydia says "Derek! Scott! See if you can catch up to Parrish or stop him! Mason and I will talk to Tara and see if she can contact him by radio and stop him. Lightning fried the radio, so we'll try to rebuild it."  
  
They all run out the door and get into their respective vehicles. Derek and Scott speed off for Stiles' house while Lydia and Mason rush to the police station.


	37. Mating at Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this is late. I didn't break it up into two chapters as a treat for being late, twice.

**SATURDAY, June 2nd, 2012**  
  
 **4 pm**  
While Brunski is meeting his fate in Beacon Hills, Stiles is meeting his in Wawona as well, with Peter.

 

  
 **Stiles POV**  
I put my beautiful flowers in the overly expensive vases, Peter bought. He thinks vases are merely display pieces. 

I then display my exquisite flowers on the counter in the kitchen. I smile as I give them a little turn to show the best view of them and then appreciatively judge the end product is satisfactory. "Vases should hold flowers, not dust."  
  
I turn around to see a very handsome Peter in a suit, looking like an escaped GQ model, leaning against the counter and eyeing me suggestively. Peter wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

I enjoy the attention of my Alpha and mate. I smile coyly at him as I curl up against his chest and nuzzle my nose under his chin. I sigh happily that that spot has his smell the strongest. I love his scent.  
  
   
  
He scratches at the base of my neck and squeezes me tightly. He then kisses the top of my head and then lean down and picks up a large picknick basket and a backpack cooler that smells absolutely delicious. He takes my hand and leads me out the door and into the woods.

As we walk along, I ask him a couple of times where we are going.

Peter shushes me and says "all will be made clear soon, to my cave.   
  
I smirk. "When you said a private affair I didn't know you meant this private."   
  
  
  
He smiles at me and leads me back to my secret tunnel with my moonflower in it, which confuses me. He can't harvest anything from it until the full moon.   
  
When we get there, I see he has a fancy dinner table set up on my floating deck.   
  
I admire the fancy tablecloth, candles, and a place setting for two. There's a plank bridge leading to the shore where I see an elegant four-poster bed, with hanging drapes set up and waiting.   
  
  
  
I realize it's quiet here. I can't hear the outside. I look around in surprise. I say "this is amazing. Why don't I hear anything from outside? It smells a little like ozone."  
  
   
  
He sets the basket and backpack cooler down as he sets the food on the table. "I asked Alexi to cast a soundproofing spell that only lasts until the full moon. I don't think you want Malia or the others to hear us. She _**does**_ have sensitive hearing."  
  
I scoff. "You're right. I don't. I'd be very self-conscious if I had to worry about being too loud. That smells delicious."  
  
Peter lights the candles, which have a soft cinnamon scent to them, and pulls out my chair for me. I sit down graciously, and he tucks me in as he says "your wolf scent does have stronger vanilla and lemongrass tint to it, but also a hint of citrus and an earthy smell, like a citrus grove after the rain. It's possible that's because you're an Earth Witch."  
  
We shamelessly flirt with each other as we eat. He even feeds me a few chocolate covered strawberries.

Peter then folds up the table and stands it against a rock wall near the bed. He takes my hand, turns on his phone and plays a couple of slow waltzes that we dance together. The first dance is slow and innocent. The second is more sexual and heated.  
  
  
  
I can't wait any longer for his kiss and lift up on my tiptoes to kiss him. He smiles as he stops me by gripping my arms.  
  
He slowly slides his hand along my arms and shoulders up to my neck. I lean more towards him as he slowly strokes his fingers over my racing pulse in the side of my neck as he finally kisses me. It starts slow and tender but quickly builds heat and intensity to where we're breathing each other's air.  
  
We slowly back up as we kiss and he unbuttons my shirt. When I feel the bed bump the back of my leg, he pushes my shirt off my shoulders and drops it on the ground, picks me up and moves us down onto the bed without stopping his devouring kiss.  
  
When we part long enough to catch our breath and for him to remove his shirt. I realize that it's brighter here than it should be. Peter smiles at me as he strokes my chest and moves to remove my shoes and slacks. "You have the most beautiful golden amber eyes." He leaves my underwear on as he removes _**all**_ of his clothes.  
  
  
  
When I try to remove my undershorts, he slaps at my hand and says "not yet, Little One. Today is all about you. I want you to truly enjoy your first time and ruin you for anyone else. I want to be the only one to do this to you and with you. I get to deflower the most prized flower in the world. This is your last chance to tell me no or to change your mind. I won't be able to stop myself once we start. I'm a very possessive man."  
  
I smile and say "I've wanted you and this for too long to even think about saying no. All I can say is yes. I like that you're possessive and protective." I lightly stroke my hand over his firm abs. "I've wanted to touch you and feel you on top of me in the worst way."  
  
  
  
Peter spreads my legs apart and lays between them as he kisses me and nips down my neck. I moan as I arch my neck to give him more access and clutch at his shoulders and back. "Mmm, as I told you before, Little One. You can touch me anywhere you want, whenever you want. However you want, and in whatever way you desire."  
  
I moan "don't tempt me."  
  
He continues to sensually suck massive hickeys into my neck as his hands gently slide down my sides and back, working their way down to my ass.   
  
It feels good and odd as they heal much faster than humanly possible. They _**don't**_ heal as fast as a normal wound or injury does on a werewolf because Peter _**is**_ an Alpha.     
  
My breath quickens when his hands finally move down inside my underwear and squeeze my ass before firmly kneading my cheeks. I'm soon hard and getting desperate to lose the rest of my clothes.  
  
I pant out "I need you to touch me, Peter. I want to feel you inside me. Show me how much you want to claim me and mark me as yours."  
  
He shines red eyes as he says "I aim to please. Don't worry if you shift a little. Losing control during the height of passion is common. Especially during your first time after the change."

He reaches a hand under the pillow and pulls out a tube of lube. He  coats his fingers and then slides them around and along his shaft.  
  
I shine my golden eyes as I say "I don't see you ever losing control." he smiles, extends his claws and carefully cuts away the last of my clothing, leaving me naked under him. Hard, moist and desperate to lose my virginity to him, with him.  
  
He leans down and kisses me long and hard as his hands knead my ass. He's not touching my shaft, and it's throbbing with a need that I don't understand how to fill.  
  
When the kiss ends, I pant up to Peter "if you don't touch my shaft soon, I think I'm going to explode."  
  
He smiles down and says "I better take care of that then." He slides down to my groin and takes me into his mouth. That explains why he hasn't used the lube on me yet.  
  
I moan and arch my back, reflexively hiking my hips up and my member further down his hot throat.   
  
Peter pushes at my entrance with his long slicked fingers as he sucks hard on me and I cum without warning into his mouth.   
  
When I finish cumming, and I realize he's milking the last of my sperm from my dick, I pant out "I'm sorry. How embarrassing. I didn't mean to cum that fast. I didn't know I was about to or I'd have warned you."  
  
He's still sucking on my shaft, even though he's licked it clean, and rubbing his knuckles over my entrance.   
  
He looks up at me and purrs "your first of many times tonight, Little One. I knew you needed to cum quickly so you can enjoy a more extended and intense round as I get you hard again. I have to get you ready for my size. It takes a little while. By the time I have you prepared for me, you'll be hard enough to go again. I want to see how hard I can get you before I finally dip inside your warm heat. Relax, and leave the driving to me. Just tell me if I do something you don't like."  
  
I nod, and he wraps his lips back around my member. He slowly nudges my legs open wider until they're as wide as they'll go and bends my knees as he lifts my ass a little higher, so he has better access to my nether region.  
  
It takes me a little while to realize he's distracted me with his talented mouth and tongue so that I didn't notice what his fingers are doing in my ass, until I have three of his digits purposely sliding in and out, and one of them is stroking my ... G-Spot?   
  
No, it's my prostate. I moan and feel my dick twitching at the constant stimulation from his fingers, his talented mouth and his golden tongue.  
  
I moan and sass him. "I was hoping something besides your fingers were going to go in there. Do I need to find something else more accommodating or are you going to let me have your spear where I need it most, finally?"  
  
Peter gives me an evil smile and climbs up to kiss me dirtily. While he's kissing me, he kneads my ass and slides his hand down to bend my knees and position me the way he wants.  
  
I try to follow his kiss as he backs his head back but he gently pushes me back down and says "last chance to say no, Little One. We don't have to go any further. If we go further, remember that I'm taking you as mine for the world to see." He strokes his hand over my shoulder and hungrily looks at me as he waits for my answer.  
  
I smile at him as I say "that's not ever going to happen. Come and show me how it's done, Love. I need everything you're going to give me."  
  
He nips at my neck as he slides the head of his very hard, thick, and wet member in my entrance. He appears fixated on that one spot of my shoulder.  
  
I can sense, or I should say that my wolf tells me that he's taking the pain so that I don't feel anything remotely close to discomfort right now.   
  
I arch my neck to give him more access and pant out "if you're going to take the pain, so I don't feel anything uncomfortable, then there's no reason for you to go slow and easy. Besides, werewolves like strength and their dominant mate to dominate them."  
  
Peter growls and surges forward so that he's fully seated inside me.   
  
I moan and arch my back at being suddenly full in the best way. I clutch his shoulders with my hands and take a few deep breaths to pull back my fangs and claws.  
  
He kisses me as he begins pistoning inside me. He purrs "your control is unrivaled. I always knew that you're meant to be a wondrous wolf. My beautiful mate."  
  
I got lost in the motion of his hips as we move in tandem until I feel like a tightly wound spring about to pop.   
  
He stops pounding his hips as he nibbles at my neck before he pulls out and rolls me over. "Different position."  
  
  
  
I pout as he repositions me to a modified doggy position and then pulls my back flush against his chest. He returns to pistoning inside me as one hand on my hips pulls me into his pounding while the other slides around me to firmly grip my throbbing shaft.   
  
  
  
He nibbles at my neck as he increases how hard and deep he thrusts inside me.   
  
When I arch my back, he moves our positions so that we're on our knees so that he can speed up his movements.

  
  
I loudly moan and pant when he adds stripping my wet cock and using that motion to pull me harder into his deep, twisting slams against my prostate.  
  
When we cum, he sinks he teeth into my shoulder. That's the second time he's bitten me today. It feels different. It feels intensely hot and searing, but there's no pain. God, it feels good. My wolf and I both like that he keeps his fanged teeth buried in my shoulder as he milks all of our semen.  
  
I realize that it feels like... it's a claiming bite. He's just marked me as his. That's why he fixated on that spot. That's where the claiming bite goes.  
  
  
  
We go another three, very powerful and dominating rounds, and he bites that spot during two of those rounds. He then surprises me by making slow, sensual, and soft love to me. It's different. I realize that I did need that after the roughness of the other rounds.  
  
  
  
We curl up together for a few minutes before cleaning up in the hot spring and heading back to our room in the house. The others are still out.   
  
  
  
I stretch out on the bed while I wait for Peter to shower and join me in the bed.  
  
After a few minutes, he joins me, and we tuck in under the covers and get some sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> This will be a very long story away from Beacon Hills.  
> Plan on updating the 1st and 15th of every month. If you notice I didn't post update remind me. I've written a lot of this already but still writing it.  
> Let me know if you think I should keep this story to myself or keep posting it here.


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